Hiding places of yesteryear

I was told that if the house still stands go to the area off from the main bedroom. That way they could keep a closer eye on it during the night. Belive it or Not.

Big trees always get my attention. I always figure if nothing else kids are going to have climbed them and lost change. Cladius.

Cladius said:

Big trees always get my attention. I always figure if nothing else kids are going to have climbed them and lost change. Cladius.

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(Krom's Friday night "pick-a-member's-post-to-comment-on"... an' I picked YOU!)

That's what I said in the story that I submitted to White's (Electronics.com) Detecting stories, Cladius.
IMHA (in my humble addition)...
Even tho' the family "clan" more-or-less hung around the abode, the favorite places for the kids to go, was "anywhere where Mom can't see us"... so don't confine your hunts to the cellar holes, foundations rock formations, or wells, alone. If there's a way to tell where they had a chicken house (for instance), the "boss of the household" might have hidden a money stash behind that... or in it. (as morbid as it may sound, we hope that we can come across a place where someone had hidden their posessions... an' died without noone knowin' about it!)
ie:
The base of corner posts surrounding fields, certain rocks on the top of (or in the middle, or at the bottom of) rock walls that were created by clearing the planting/grazing fields. Look for a good spot that would've been easy to memorize.
Most any "memorable marker" could be just about anywhere, too.
You jus' hafta try an' think like times were back then... an' how you could hide your (whiskey, for instance) money. The wives would hide money also (from thier husbands? Yeah, maybe. You never know).
A walk to the well (or water supply) would be a great place (and time) to either stash or get monies that were being saved for a special occasion of sorts, behind an ancient oak tree, or in the corner of a field furthest away from the house. Look for huge rotted stumps left from the trees (that's exactly where I found my very first "keeper"... an 1800 Draped Bust half cent) that would have been where the "fam" would get out of the heat of the summers (when the air conditioners were broke down) and watch the kids pushing huge rings down the dirt road... sipping home-made whatever drinks.
(This one might sound a bit rediculous, but...) If you have access to an old house that's still standing (and if it's safe to go inside), check the walls with your machine... check the ceilings... check the floor boards! During the harsh winters, it was easier to hide savings inside their homes than it was to hide it outside (which was already covered with that white stuff... depending on where you are).
Those, rich enough to have built root cellars (or "hidout" cellars), would have hidden their precious life's savings down there. Who knows? They even could have been killed or died from the old "incurable deseases" and noone would have been the wiser as to any "family fortune" that they had buried.
More modern houses might have a single mud brick (or modern brick) that was ideal to hide gold or silver in, because it was generally the man of the house that would do biddings with the "downstairs" business... and if he died, for whatever reason, without revealing even the existance of a family "stash", noone would have known that it even existed.
(thank you Mr. Stubborn, and Mr. Miser! )
These ideas are the tip of MY iceburg/search-ideas when I'm out there in the woods!
(open that mind an' time-travel years back! BE the past... LIVE the past... an' you just might find your/thier cashé)
Happy hunting to all... and you all have a simply sparklin' Saturday hunt (those of you that don't have this frozen ground that I have to contend with)...!
Sure hope this helps someone...!

Krom (Knots Remain, Outrage Maintains)

Good tips, Krom, thanks for posting them. Don't forget about fence posts. Many caches have been found under old fence posts. Seems they would dig the hole for the post, and hide coin stashes under the post.

Also, people were known to hide things in or along old stone walls. When hunting along these walls, the scraps of barbed wire will drive you nuts though. Good luck!

Favorite money hole hiding places

I always check out the top edges of the doors. I have found coins in slots cut into the top edges of doors. My Grandfather told me his dad hid silver dollars in the top edge of his door. They are out of the reach of the kids and noone can see them without standing on something.

Tom in GA
White's MXT
Fisher 1235-X

Good tips from all of you. When I hunt an old foundation, I try to visualize where people spent most of their time outdoors, and work those areas first. I have found some nice coins and jewelery in these areas.

was just out yesterday and getting a signal from under a tree. it was getting dark and late so i have to wait until tomorrow. i dug for at least 30 minutes before running out of time. not sure how old the tree is so it may not be much. have also got many false signals from mineral deposits like iron close by. this dings differently though, so who knows. after reading this thread, not sure if I'll be able to sleep.

Back windows off the kitchen used to toss a lot out of those windows, i like the old steps and the side walk or slate stones leading to some huge trees and the clearing that was once the home or building...

I have heard the you have a good chance of finding coins just right around the edge of an old foundation. Seems that the old timers would prop the windows up with a coin (usually pennies) to get air flow without all the wind. They say that many of these coins are still in the ground around the outside of the foundations. Heck anything is worth a try. I think a small coil would be perfect for this.

This one might be one everyone knows about, but a good place to check is under where an old clothesline was setup. I personally have found several coins (nothing too old) under where the old clothesline was set up when I bought my house. I took it down, but hunted under where it was and found several coins, and five keys!

That's one thing about M'Ding I really like, it's the travelling back in time. Looking around and thinking what it was like back in the day. I live in an old city. In fact, its over 350 years old, it's one of the first cities on the Continent. Let me tell you, since getting evolved with M'Ding I look at where I live a whole lot different. The heart of the city is on a Mountain, a lot of which is still earth and soil. One day, I'm hoping on the subway and detecting a portion of that mountain, but I'm going to do it smart. I'm going to do some research first. Then select a portion of area that might have some promising possibilities. I'm a newbie but from this forum and the times I've been out already, I'm learning you gotta play it smart. There is a whole lotta trash out there and I don't want to be a garbage man. Still, whatever I do find I find, its the getting outdoors and doing something that appeals to me. If I find something valuable that will be the icing on the cake. :P

I even stash money..lol...but not in a foundation or a root cellar....i would say im better off stashing it close to the foundation or window....MCC

two places I have been told about but haven't personally verified:

1. Base of the chimney. Apparently putting a coin at the base of a chimney during construction was done for good luck. I suppose this might require a chisel to get out unless the chimney has toppled. I have seen toppled chimneys at old sites so it's worth checking.

2. Base of a flagpole, especially on military bases. I was told the .45 caliber handgun used for the first flag raising ceremony of a flagpole would be buried under the flag pole. I've also been told that a bullet may have been fired into the flagpole, but don't know how that was done.

Up here in Indiana I look for the Dogwood Tree. Supposed to be the tree used with Christ.

Old timers would plant the dogwood tree. If I come across a field I am researching and I find one or two Dogwood's only, I search near that area first.

Perry, when I was in the Army, they used to tell us that inside the little ball on top of the flagpole was a knife blade, a book of matches and a single .45 shell. It was symbolic thing - the last soldier remaining alive on the base when under seige by the enemy is to use the knife to cut down the flag, use the matches to burn the flag so that the enemy cannot capture it, and then use the single .45 round to shoot themselves rather than be taken prisoner. To this day, I don't know if it's true or not, but I heard it from many people of varying rank.

Mu uncle John used to burry his money in mason jars in the yard. He didn't trust banks.
Dad's going to take me out there Saturday and were going to see if his sons dug it all up yet or if we can get lucky and find some.

Hey Pat...
I think they wrote a song about yer uncle.
That was in the Wholly Swamp area, right? ... around the "black water' section.

Jus' kiddin'. Jus' a plug for some great reb music... CDB.
Love ta find me a mason jar of just about whatEVER!!!

Having built houses in my younger days I can tell you that many old timers used to put silver dollars and an old bottle or two inside a wall. I have torn down several houses in in a few cases we found 2-4 Silverdollars. Neat little find. If an old house still stands or has fallen down you might find some of those silver dollars. I have recently built a few walls in an exisiting building and I placed a fe of the "new" state quarters in there. A neat find for someone some day. I also wrote my name and the date on the dry wall just behind the coins ... so you never know

LOL, Prof...! I musta done that 100 times!
Name & address... an' leave 'em some present-day coins (to pay for the 100+ year-old news papers I found in the walls).    Old tools is another neat inner-wall find...!