Find Silver Coins Here
Old Horse Racing Tracks
Years ago when searching 1800s maps for areas to metal detect and using them when researching possible treasures I noticed areas that were marked “Race Track,” or “Driving Park.” However, because my focus was on specific areas, I paid no attention to the “Race Track” areas. But once I looked into the possibility of those areas holding old coins, and then finding lots of silver at the old tracks, I became excited about looking for them.
The old race tracks were often situated in rural areas near towns and villages. The racing events drew thousands of people each year. Located around the outside of the oval tracks were individuals selling their wares. Everything from soaps, and clothing to fruits, and vegetables to fresh eggs and even chickens were sold to the spectators. Money exchanged hands freely. And where physical money, especially coins is being used for purchases by thousands of people every year, there is reason and proof, that coins are dropped and lost. This is where the enterprising person with a metal detector can find those coins. And most often, they are silver coins. I have found many Seated and Barber coins at these old race tracks.
Many of the old horse race tracks are now gone. Either they are farm fields or RV courts, shopping centers, and parking lots. So it will take research, patience, and persistence to locate one. Here are a few tips.
The easiest way to find an old horse race track or driving park, is by asking an old timer who lives in a rural town or village. Ask him or her if they know of such an area. The reason why I mention searching for the tracks near old villages and towns is that in the larger cities, the old race tracks of long ago have been turned into fairgrounds. The trash in the ground in those areas is not worth the time and effort of searching for older coins. The best horse race tracks of old to search are the ones that are now farm fields.
If you cannot find someone that knows about the tracks then your next step would be to find an old map. I have always had great luck with maps from D.G. Beers dated 1865-1875. The Beers maps were made up of counties in each state. Many libraries have them for copying. By scanning the maps you can sometimes locate the old race tracks or, what they were also referred to as “Driving Parks.”
After locating one on a map, you can cross-reference with a modern map to locate the area. You need to cross-reference with a modern map because chances are there will be no telltale signs of exactly where the track once stood. Again, that race track of yesteryear is most likely a farm field today. Better than ninety percent of those tracks I have located were in today's farm fields. I’m not saying you will find ninety percent of those old race tracks, I am saying of the ones I located, ninety percent were in fields in rural areas.
Another way to find the old horse race tracks is to use the Google Satelite mapping system. If you open the map to the area you want to search look for the slight contours of oval-shaped areas in the countryside near towns and villages. If you’re not familiar with using Google Satelite mapping then it will take time and a keen eye to find the oval tracks. But after a while, you’ll be able to pick out those roughed-out profiles of the tracks.
The next step is to locate where the area of the track is, hope it’s a farm field, and then ask permission to metal detect the field. But beware, the property owner may think you’re off your rocker. They’ll say things like, “Horse race track, you say? I didn’t think there was one near here or even on my property. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Yes, I did have one nice older farmer tell me that I was “off my rocker, for saying there was once a race track on his property.
But trust me. If you can get by the negativity, and show them with some silver coins you’ll find, and if you share some of those coins with the property owner, you will have many hours going back to that track, to retrieve those silver coins. I have found silver coins at the old tracks each time I went back to them.
Giddy Up!
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My metal detecting/treasure hunting TV series, “Exploring History’s Treasures” EHT, was the first REAL, reality, show of its kind. There was no scripting, no planting or salting the ground with finds before we dug them. Exploring History’s Treasures can now be viewed here.
