A few weeks ago, I wrote a story about how I obtained permission for a house that was instrumental in leading over a thousand slaves to their freedom--The Wright House. This weekend, I had the opportunity to stand beside that very pile of rubble and contemplate everything that the home had stood for. I must admit, the whole experience was a bit surreal. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PinFhc1dorA I think that everyone has a different motive for digging and--as I've mentioned before--my motive is to recover that buried shred of history that can connect me to the past. Before I bought my metal...

Spring is almost here! I wrote a post recently about my upcoming permissions and how they are the only way I have kept sane this winter. Join me at the seventeen hundreds mill for a preview of what you have to look forward to: Make sure you subscribe to my YouTube Channel for future videos.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1CuU2pAnng

I've got the winter blues. Officially. I'm staring out my window as more white stuff falls from the sky. Granted, Pennsylvania winters are mild compared to what I was used to in New England--I guess we could be getting three feet instead of a mere six inches... but I'm bitter just the same. I had grand aspirations for this week. I wanted to get out there and hit my permissions. It's supposed to be March, after all. The earth is supposed to be thawing but between the snow and freezing rain this week, I've been a complete wreck of a shut-in--with my five dogs and two kids. I guess it could be worse......

Despite what you would gather from reading my blog posts, I have only been metal detecting for a short while. Before that, you could find me scrounging around in old bottle dumps and hunting yard-sales for cheap treasures that struck my fancy. I am a treasure hunter at heart and I suppose that taking up a metal detector was just the next logical step. I look at metal detecting as my way of connecting with the past. I think everyone has a different motive for metal detecting. Some metal detect to keep busy, others to stay active, a handful to get rich, and the rest to discover something that...

My garage is an art gallery. I know that sounds bizarre, but I get this itch whenever a piece of artwork strikes my fancy. I'm not talking artwork from the metropolitan art gallery. I'm talking artwork at the local thrift store, estate sales, garage-sales... people are just giving that stuff away! Most of it ends up hanging on the walls of my garage. There is no real theme, just paintings of all different styles and periods. Actually, I had this one framed lithograph that I wanted to tell you about. The print was nothing fancy, just some adorable kittens with ribbons around their necks attempting...

Let's face it, metal detecting gets a bad rap. The more I pursue the hobby, the more I recognize this perception that people have of metal detecting. Yesterday, I took a trip to the historical society--more on that later. As I was speaking with one of the woman who volunteers there, I really got the impression that metal detecting was a sore subject. She had this vision of someone leaving open craters in the ground and stealing historically significant objects from public view. We talked at length and I really hope that I was able to change her perception of metal detecting. Everyone has their...

Today, I told my son a story today about the good guys and the bad guys. The bad guys chased the good guys to a house where they hid in the walls and the attic and the basement. When the bad guys came, they looked everywhere for the good guys, but they played hide-and-seek so well that the bad guys couldn't find them anywhere. So the bad guys left and the good guys went to hide in another house and one day lived happily ever after. I introduce you to the Wright House--this picture is from six years ago but I think you get the gist. This sad looking stack of bricks may not look like much,...

I have been tossing around this idea of developing a one-pager to leave with potential permissions. Do any of you have something that you have developed? I thought of creating a business card, but what can a business card really tell you about a person who wants permission to dig up your property? (Because--essentially--that is what we are all asking for.) I was doing some research on the metal detecting code of ethics--which I preach about on a regular basis. I happened upon this version by White's Electronics: Be a good ambassador for other detectorists by following this code of ethics for respecting...

In some cases, you will find that paying your taxes does not give you the right to metal detect in township parks, schools, or sidewalk strips. A dog can take a dump in any of these places. A kid can eat dirt in any of these places. A hipster can play his guitar and a homeless man can nap in any of these places. Do they pay taxes? Probably not. But they have these rights because you pay your taxes. There is a township near me called South Middleton Township. This township has all the ingredients for a perfect detecting experience. I've touched on it before, but in case you forgot--underground...

A lot of my permissions are discovered just by driving around. I will pick my son up from daycare and we will set off on our epic adventures. I call them adventures, but really we just drive around on unfamiliar roads looking for places that could produce historical relics. It might sounds silly, but we have a lot of fun. This is actually how I got permission for the 1765 mill property. (Pictured to the Right.) My other permissions are found on the internet. If I have a township that I am focusing on, I will Google "TOWN" history. I read up on what Wikipedia has to say, then I will typically...