Home Metal Detecting

"Pulling my hair out" Part 2

(Figured I'd start a new thread)

Well, we finally got down deep into the caves that were supposedly used as a tourist attraction in the old amusement park from about 1891-1904. (An email that I received from the head of a local spelunking club verified that I had in fact found the specific cave, as it's the only large entrance to the caves at the site.)

Jumping into the main room, we found a large room, roughly 20 x 30 feet with ceilings as high as 10 feet in some parts. The floor was littered with square nails and other bits of rusty iron, but no sign of coins that I could find!

(The email also verified my belief that historical account greatly exaggerated the activities within the caves, as there was probably no way social functions could have been held even in the large room.)

Here's a shot of me sitting in the large entry room:

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At the back of the room was the 1st passageway, which dropped about 10 feet at a steep angle. At the bottom was a small landing, from which we made our way down through another steep drop. Climbing down through that passage, we came eye-to-eye with what seemed to be the beginnings of stalagtites (stalagmites?). Here's a pic:

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That passage led us into a room from which it appeared that you could go in four or five different passages. Upon investigation, all but two would have required us to crawl/squeeze through tiny openings, with no guarantee that the passageway would continue any farther. (We decided not to try.)

The first of the two other passages led into a perfectly square room--it was amazing how square it was. It must have been close to the ceiling, though, because dirt had leached down through over the years, depositing a thick layer of rich. sifted, wet dirt on the floor. Had it not been there, I think the floor would have been perfectly level as well, completing the square room. It was this room that reminded me of the accounts that supposedly 30 marriages had been performed in the caves while the park was opened. This must have been the spot!

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(I think that had the dirt not been there, I could have easily stood upright in that room.)

The other passage led down another 10 feet to the last room we encountered. Not a very large room, but it was here that I saw a piece of worked wrought iron that I have to assume was part of a railing. I tried to get a pic, but it didn't turn out well enough to see the piece of metal. There was also a piece of glass, probably from a goblet-type piece, that had depression type design to it, but was a purple color that I've never seen in old glass. Don't know what to make of it.

On the way out, exploring the entry room, I had to stop my friend from putting his hand on 2 large wolf spiders while checking out another possible passage. Looking up, we discovered that there were plenty of wolf spiders at regular intervals on the ceiling! (The thought of bats didn't bother me, and I certainly felt like Indiana Jones--got my degree in Anthro--but I can't stand spiders!)

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Climbing up and out, we discovered another possible passage below the mouth of the cave, but it would require some crawling and squeezing to get into. After just discovering the spiders, neither of us was up for the challenge--at least not that day.


Now--regarding the Glen Park Amusement Park itself, after leaving the caves, I happened to stop by a local antique shop that hadn't been open for awhile. I asked the owner a couple questions, and he informed me that he used to be an avid md-er who had extensively detected the park site with a friend about 10 years ago! He said they pulled quite a few older (he had said 1860's era) coins from the site, and ran into his house to bring out a large 3-ring binder (one of many) that held his coin finds.

It was amazing! He related that he and his friend had detected many local sites with incredible results--tons of old coins. His eyes got that glazed over look as he was talking about it--a look I'm sure all of us know. He told me about quite a few other (perhaps better in his opinion) sites to search.

I ran straight home for my detector and went back to the park, now with a better idea of where to look. First hit in a very brushy area (bent over, unable to swing very far) yeilded this 1895 Indian Head! The pic doesn't do it justice--although still a little dirty, it's almost as though it was dropped in 1895 and never worn any further! It has full "Liberty" on the face.

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Two more hours of searching yeilded nothing but rusty nails. I still left encouraged, ready to come back again.

A couple days later, I searched for another 3 hours. Only one good find (mostly nails and bullet shells). It's a Canadian small dime, minted sometime between 1858 and 1901, but extremely worn. Leads me to believe it was very old when it was dropped--probably an early date. Here's a couple shots:

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Still excited, I went back today with plans to be VERY thorough. I began by diggin every repeated signal, soon stopping that when I began to recognize how the nails were hitting. The bullet shells on the other hand, hit like coins.

After 3 hours, I found nothing. I honestly feel that the area may be picked clean. I feel that had there been any coins there, I would have had some luck. I had no trouble detecting and digging quite a few .22 short shells, which are much smaller than any coin.

Unfortunately, even though the history of the area still has me spellbound (it never ceases to hold me in awe, trying to imagine how it had been, every time I go in there), I'm going to back off it for 'more fertile' grounds.

It was worth it though--now I know how to read my Ace 250!
Need to finish my Kennedys and Jeffersons!

Comments

  • allright dude!..."thats the way you do it, get your money for nothin and your chicks for free"...don't mind me?.....glad to see your making heads and tails out of that site...keep it up...can't wait to see what you find next....hh
    "see ya at the beach"
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  • kevinstangkevinstang Posts: 1,518 ✭✭✭
    Couple of nice finds there, I wouldn't give up on the spot yet, I have hit plenty of sites that others have said were hunted out and made good finds. Gotta remember the effects of erosion, animals and frost up here can move stuff around from year to year. And of course, metal detectors themselves have gotten better. Areas worked over in the past might have just had the easy targets taken out, the deeper stuff or coins on their edge may not have been found. I still go back to spots I have hit many times and make new finds. How's the shoreline area around the site? Any places where someone might have taken a stroll with a lady folk or gone swimming- those are areas that I have found to be very productive. I am not sure what an amusement park of the era would have been like, but I am sure lots of folks liked to take leisurely walks and have picnics here and there. Good luck!
  • rickoricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Great post and pictures... thanks for coming back and telling us about it... I too think there must be more there.. for the reasons stated just above. Do not give up yet... Cheers, RickO
  • Very nice!

    G.
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  • Great story and finds! I also got my degree in Anthro...
    I lust for silver.
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  • davbecdavbec Posts: 321 ✭✭
    Morglan, sent you a PM
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