Standing Chimneys

Dirtvana

New Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2017
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3
Location
Ga
Anyone had any luck around chimneys that are still standing although the house has been reduced to dust?

My dads first cousin owns a 50 acre parcel of land about 36.5 seconds down the road from my house and there is a rock chimney right at the tree line 20 ft off the road. It's so close to the road, the drainage ditch begins to level off into the woods at the base of the chimney. Yeah, basically half of the yard of the former house and half the foundation footprint was graded for the drainage ditch running beside the road.

I have permission from my first cousin-once removed to hit it up any time I please.

Just curious what other people have found around standing chimney remnants. I was able to look at an aerial photo from 1962. The house had already deteriorated by 1962. Chimney made of flat rocks. Only god knows how old.

First time post. Long time vicarious liver through others postings!... Ha.
 
Hello from Western Australia! I've tried around chimneys but never had much success. Just give it a shot, and share any finds! Good luck :)
 
I've never had the opportunity to search directly around a chimney, but it would be similar to any house site. Not as productive as around the front of the house but people are always losing stuff. Might find some interesting old tools. Good luck!
 
I hunted around one.. no luck for me. don't limit your search just to the base. scan the inside/outside arms reach from the opening. also search around the ground where the house stood and under the house.. who knows, there could have been a hiding spot, under the house, that was accessible from inside the house. best of luck and HH
 
Look for foundation stones around the chimney marking the limits of the house. Then work outside of that. I mostly just find iron and nails around a chimney that I assume is building debris. But you never know. Things can fall through the cracks in the floor.
 
Just try it and see what you find. That is how you find good areas. Try places you think might be good until you start finding good stuff. It it could be hunted out being close to the road but I think metal detectors are better today so there might be good stuff left.
 
I have found and hunted several around Jackson County, Missouri and just found another one yesterday and was going to go back today but it rained here most of the day, I will probably make it back to check it tomorrow most of them have hand dug wells as does this one, I've researched this location and can't find anything on it so I'm pretty sure of what I'll find when I locate the foundation layout charred wood, melted glass, and square nails. It took me a while to figure out why so many in this area were burned down while I don't find this pattern as common anywhere else I've searched them. During the Civil war when they enacted general order 11 all residents of Cass, Jackson, Bates, and parts of Vernon counties were forced from their land and the homes were burnt to the ground most people in this area were Southern sympathizers and aided the guerrilla forces so the government thought this would put a stop to aiding people like Anderson, Quantrill, James, youngers to name a few and what I was finding were referred to at the time as Jennison's monuments and this was part of what was known as the burnt district. I've found lots of old wagon parts, barrel hoops, buckle's probably horse tack etc. but no coins but who knows this might be the one. Good luck with yours.
 
Cover the area 100 yards in any direction you can. If someone lived there they were all over the area. I found a homesite from around 1700 in a field that was not on any map. The coins and buttons spanned out over about an acre from where the house was.
 
Yeah...If theres an old chimney, theres an old privy, clothesline, garden, well, chicken coop...Old Chimneys do indeed give you an idea of the layout of the place and the nature/wealth of its original builder.....it took a lot of effort to build a chimney and use the lands layout for its maximum potential, you just didnt order up blocks and flues and bags of mortar from the Home Depot.........guys thought it out back then...you had to, it was a serious undertaking..the primary heating and cooking structure and anchor for a dwelling...all those rocks/bricks had to come from somewhere nearby...each one found, hauled, and hand set...
 
I watched an old cowboy movie the other day where they had hidden the cash box behind a brick in the chimney never hurts to metal detect the brick on the chimney you never know what you will find.:D
 
Yeah...If theres an old chimney, theres an old privy, clothesline, garden, well, chicken coop...Old Chimneys do indeed give you an idea of the layout of the place and the nature/wealth of its original builder.....it took a lot of effort to build a chimney and use the lands layout for its maximum potential, you just didnt order up blocks and flues and bags of mortar from the Home Depot.........guys thought it out back then...you had to, it was a serious undertaking..the primary heating and cooking structure and anchor for a dwelling...all those rocks/bricks had to come from somewhere nearby...each one found, hauled, and hand set...

You think like I do. Picking a house site back in those days was a big deal. Even a bigger deal than picking a camp site back in the Civil War era since it was going to be permanent. There are lot of good areas to detect in general vicinity of an old chimney. Back then people had gardens if they wanted to eat and they had to go do their business somewhere. LOL

beephead
 
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