Stone walls?

DashHopes

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Old farm stone walls, anyone ever MD them or by them?

The ski hill I work at (Its been there 55 years now) was once all farm land, around 50 years before the ski, so around a 100 years ago or so it was farm land. Working at the ski I can see the old stone walls still running through the woods where the pastures used to be. I"m thinking I will bring my MD to work and see what I can see during my lunch break. Has anyone ever checked out old stone walls before? and If so what kind of finds?
 
Personally I would not concentrate too much time & energy around "random stone walls", UNLESS there were some sort of habitation or activity (house, camp, fort, stage stop, or something). Because if you're just talking those random stacked rock walls that go for miles, then those are nothing more than simply fences. So seems to me you'd have no more reason to expect coins there, than along ANY random fenceline. So I'd concentrate on where human long-term activity (living, playing, buying, selling) occurred.
 
There will be some stuff, potentially goodies in and around those old stone fences.
I have found old glass and relics of that nature.
They would make a good hiding spot for a cache.
 
Personally I would not concentrate too much time & energy around "random stone walls", UNLESS there were some sort of habitation or activity (house, camp, fort, stage stop, or something).

There is always habitation around stone fences. They didn't build them out of rocks because they loved hard work, they built them out of rock to clear farmland.

Because if you're just talking those random stacked rock walls that go for miles, then those are nothing more than simply fences.

Simple fences are worth checking out, just like old trees. They were a place for resting and observation.

So seems to me you'd have no more reason to expect coins there, than along ANY random fenceline.

OP did not mention anything about finding coins.

So I'd concentrate on where human long-term activity (living, playing, buying, selling) occurred.

Like an old homestead?
 
those old rock walls also make great hiding places for snakes, hornets, etc. :shock: but just the fact that they're man made gives them every bit as much potential for finding things as any other place does. :yes:
 
found V nickel at one break, and a couple hundred yards away a half reale along the same wall(s) in the woods...

you NEVER know...
 
No luck yet along old stone walls here in Upstate NY; just deer slugs and shotgun shells left from hunters hiding behind them, but I still try anyway to see if I get a hit.

I usually try to focus on he corners, since I'm always wondering if they might have been a good place to hide something.
 
.....Like an old homestead?

Correct. But this assumes you know WHERE along said rock wall that the habitation (or spot of activity, etc...) was. Sure those rock walls were built to clear land (and mark in boundaries, etc...) for cultivated fields, which would probably mean someone's house SOMEWHERE there. Sure. But wouldn't you say the odds of finding metal items are going to be better, the closer you got to the source, versus just random-anywhere ?
 
Items can be found along those type walls. Look, it's not going to be fantastic hunting, that's for sure. However, it was built long ago so those few things you do find can be very old and interesting. My brother and I hunt them when we're looking for a woods hunt. As was mentioned, breaks and corners seem to be better. Do watch out for venomous snakes if they're known to be in the area. Be observant of places the builders may have stopped for lunch, springs, creeks etc. Look for stone fire rings or the old wagon road that the builders used to ride up to the location.
 
There are zillions of miles of old rock walls here in NJ. Your best bet will be at breaks in the walls or under very old trees. Unfortunately for me, every one of the rock walls on my property also had very old barbed wire fencing that has long since fallen into the soil and rusted. Every foot of ground around my walls is full of this stuff.
 
There are zillions of miles of old rock walls here in NJ. Your best bet will be at breaks in the walls or under very old trees. Unfortunately for me, every one of the rock walls on my property also had very old barbed wire fencing that has long since fallen into the soil and rusted. Every foot of ground around my walls is full of this stuff.

I have some small finds that I planned on posting when I had time. But this comment of barbed wire warrants an immediate reply lol. I have done two 20 minute stone wall runs up to date and one side of the stone wall has old barbed wire running by it about 6 inches under the ground. Very frustrating lol.

 
I hunt near them. I look for openings or near the largest trees. I've dug a colonial flat button near them while I walked on a path off a park. On the 20th I posted these finds of spent ammo, a biggy copper n a merc from an original opening in an old stone wall. One key feature was it was along a resevoir but ok for public visits.(pics below.)
The one with the bottles was the edge of a dirt parking lot in a sports park within spitting distance of an old crumbling wall into the adjacent woods. That produced old n new.
 
No luck yet along old stone walls here in Upstate NY; just deer slugs and shotgun shells left from hunters hiding behind them, but I still try anyway to see if I get a hit.

I usually try to focus on he corners, since I'm always wondering if they might have been a good place to hide something.

That's what we mostly find on our property, however I've pulled a real nice CT copper and my brother got a toasted 1794 half cent. Plus we've both pulled buttons.
 
Lots of people hunted along them too, myself included, and you have to figure they were pulling shells out of their pocket. If they were doing that, then there's a chance they were dropping stuff.

Of course, I am over 400+ headstamps at 5 locations, with only 5 coins to show for it...... :(
 
Personally I would not concentrate too much time & energy around "random stone walls", UNLESS there were some sort of habitation or activity (house, camp, fort, stage stop, or something). Because if you're just talking those random stacked rock walls that go for miles, then those are nothing more than simply fences. So seems to me you'd have no more reason to expect coins there, than along ANY random fenceline. So I'd concentrate on where human long-term activity (living, playing, buying, selling) occurred.

Personally, I WOULD spend time and energy and time around random stone walls.

I've found countless old coins, romans, recent clad...loads of stuff.

Matt
 
dash hopes/ stone walls

I have always had good luck searching around old stone walls in the woods in pennsylvannia. I have found coins and various tools..........good luck
 
....I've found countless old coins, romans, .....


Uhhh, you've found "countless" old coins and romans in the UK @ "random stone walls" ? Or are referring to USA "random stone walls" ?

Because if you are referring to the USA, then .... you'll have 100k USA of us md'rs clamoring to know which "stone walls" you're referring to. Where they can waltz on out and find "Roman coins".

Because: Last I checked: We're lucky to approach the explorer-era, of our east coast history. And while hunting: "any old field" in the UK might be fruitful (since there's so much history there). Yet in the USA, when you hunt "any old field" , you are probably in for a b*tt-load of silence and sterility.
 
Correct. But this assumes you know WHERE along said rock wall that the habitation (or spot of activity, etc...) was. Sure those rock walls were built to clear land (and mark in boundaries, etc...) for cultivated fields, which would probably mean someone's house SOMEWHERE there. Sure. But wouldn't you say the odds of finding metal items are going to be better, the closer you got to the source, versus just random-anywhere ?

So tom I have been very successful along these stone walls finding large cents(yes I know they are everywhere here including stone walls and tot lots), buttons, crotal bells, buckles, and so on. They were hard work to build, lots was dropped during the construction of them alone. Not to mention they were used as seats for resting and lunch if near a tree during field work. Crossing peoples land was also common and people climbed over these walls, so looking at old maps and finding straightish lines to purposeful places and checking g those areas of the walls pays off too. There are other reasons but you get my drift by now.

Totally worth all time and effort in my opinion.
 
Would not hunt stone walls in California,(oops there are none), the east is a different story. Woods have artifacts almost anywhere, its a !!!! shoot however, be prepared to find lots of shell casings. But every once in awhile you get a good score. To me its worth it. The closer to a larger population center the better. Roads in and around the walls are your best bet. I live in a small town and hunt woods and corn fields all the time and i'm successful one in five hunts, so you have to determine if its a waste of time. My oldest coin was found near a Stone wall(1690 gun money shilling). It was the only relic that came from this property. Persistence sometimes pays off.
 
Same here as many have said. Lots of shell casings and trash but an occasional good find like a 1909 Barber dime I found along a stone wall in a local park.

If anything they are a good starting reference to detect fields or woods.
 
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