My Honey Hole
Near my home is a large creek that meanders for miles through towns and villages. I fish it for trout, and often metal detect its shorelines. On one particular morning, as I walked along the creek bank, I came upon a very old metal picnic table. I had never walked or fished this spot and I was surprised to see the picnic table resting two feet from the water's edge. I thought perhaps I had wandered onto private property, and the metal picnic table was placed there by its owner. I looked around for "No Trespassing" signs but saw none. So I continued along what I had now realized was an old, well-used path along that side of the creek. In a matter of minutes, I saw another old metal picnic table. Now my curiosity suddenly peaked, and my excitement level went into full high-alert. In the hobby of metal detecting /treasure hunting, being inquisitive is an important benefit I learned years ago. Why were these old picnic tables in this area, I thought?
Wanting to know more about this place, I continued walking along the path and came upon another half dozen or so old picnic tables. I knew now the picnic tables were not placed there by a private property owner. I wondered if I had stumbled onto an area where town residents once used to picnic.
As I continued walking along the path, I came to an old wooden bridge. The bridge was approximately fifteen feet wide, and it crossed over the creek. As I crossed the bridge, I noticed an old outhouse. Now excitement increased greatly. Digging up and searching old outhouses are one of my favorite pastimes. But not only was I excited to see the outhouse as a potential search site but the thought that a nearby old picnic grove may be close by, with the outhouse being another indicator.
I walked along the path for another few minutes, and then suddenly, a large open field was in front of me. The first object I spotted in the field of tall grass and weeds was an old wooden swing. I walked toward the swing and then noticed an old wooden teeter-totter. There were a dozen or so metal and wooden picnic tables placed in different locations, as well as stone fire pits used for cooking. I now knew that I had stumbled on an old picnic grove. As excited as I was, it was too late in the day to metal detect the area. I had other commitments, but I knew that I would be back there bright and early with my detector the following day.
The next morning I was up at dawn, hurriedly downed a cup of coffee, ate breakfast, and on my way to the old grove. After parking my car in an area where fishermen park, I grabbed my detector and excitedly headed toward the path that led to the old grove. But along the way, I searched around each of the picnic tables that were placed along the creek. After searching around the metal tables I walked across the wooden bridge to the old outhouse. I searched that area, inside and out, but found nothing. The best way to search an old outhouse is to remove the seat and get right down into it. Ya, I know. The thought of doing that is disgusting to some. But not me. I jump right in that stuff and wallow around like a pig in mud.
As I walked into the open field, I decided to start detecting around the old wooden swing. It was early April, so the grass and weeds that had overtaken the age-old grove were not yet high enough to make swinging a detector difficult. Within minutes I began getting multiple targets. My heart raced with excitement and anticipation as I began to dig a small plug. I cannot remember the dates of every coin I pulled from that old picnic grove. But I do remember the first ones that I dug. There were four of them right next to each other. One was an 1895 barber quarter, then a 1899 barber dime, and two Indian head cents, 1902 and 1905. I was finding old coins all over that grove. By the end of the day, I had dug 34 coins. The oldest that day was the 1895 barber quarter.
However, that day was not the last time I searched the old grove. For six months, whenever I had the time, I detected that area. I not only searched the open field of the grove, but I also metal detected every inch of the path from where I parked my car, right into the grove. Along the path, I found 21 old coins. All total, after six months of searching, I found more than two hundred old coins. The oldest was an 1878 seated dime. I also found some modern coins. But those, I believe, were dropped by the fishermen that walked the banks of the creek.
From the old coins' dates, I surmised that the old grove was no longer used after
the 1920s. I decided to search for the history of the grove. I looked at old maps of that area, and there were no indications of a picnic grove being there. I've read the history of that town, and there has been no mention of that grove. In the end, that was a good thing for me. Due to the lack of information about the grove, I was lucky enough to be the only person who searched it. If I had not been curious when I first hiked that trail, I would have never found my little honey hole.
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.
Dear Frank,
I just wanted to thank you again for being a guest speaker in my 8th grade English classes. My students found your presentation and ghost town dvd both informative and fun. You really captured their interest with your knowledge, and the use of the artifacts and the metal detector was a real plus.
It's always a treat when I can help students to connect what we read and write about in class with what is happening around them in the outside world. I deeply appreciate you sharing it with my students.
Sincerely,
Bill Zimpfer,
English Teacher
Southern Central School
Frank,
"I am very interested in seeing "Exploring History's Treasures" go into syndication. Since I first heard about the series several months ago, I have been eagerly awaiting for it to appear on television. I think the mixture of history, the outdoors, and the thrill of the search would make this program highly enjoyable to many audiences. I would compare it to History's Mysteries meets Antiques Road Show. It is sure to be a winner, and I will be waiting for it to hit the airwaves in Columbus."
Peter B.
Columbus, Ohio
Frank and John
Just watched the Ghost Towns in the East DVD series.Great Show.You guys show the way metal detecting really is.The tips you give on researching an area are useful to detectorists of all ages.
I wish Dish Network would pick this up,it would be a great addition to the outdoor channel.
Keep up the great work.
Jeff Raines,Dallas,Ga.