I sent the email at the bottom of this post and the response is above it;
Dear Mr.. Schrenckengost,
Thank you VERY much for contacting us! However, digging of ANY kind on Commonwealth property without the written permission of the Division of Archaeology, Bureau for Historic Preservation, Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission is ILLEGAL - that includes Game Lands, DCNR (Oil Creek State Park, Cooks Forest, etc.), and PHMC property (Drake Well, Pithole and placed properties like the Ft. LeBoeuf Museum in Waterford or the Erie Art Museum and Erie County Historical Society properties on State Street in Erie).
You see, the items under the ground on Commonwealth property belong to all the residents of Pennsylvania, not just those folks lucky enough to own a metal detector. Items like coins help date the other artifacts found near them (like pottery shards, bones, forks or buttons) that may not have dates on them. Foreign coins prove that the people who lived at or traveled through those areas either came from or traveled to those lands or the coins could prove foreign commerce. Some people today think that this region was a wilderness in the 1860s. Those of us who live here know better but without the proof, it's going to be hard for us to prove it. When people with metal detectors steal those datable artifacts, it greatly diminishes the information archaeologists are able to piece together when an excavation is finally done. I worked on an excavation at the Battles Museums' Yellow House (Girard) once and it was evident that metal detecting had occurred. We found NO coins, nor any other metal artifacts except nails. It was VERY discouraging. Some archaeological excavations have been undertaken at Pithole and another is being planned for Oil Creek State Park (at least archaeologists from the Mercyhurst Archaeological Institute were here a couple of years ago to do research for one). I would be glad to share the information about the Pithole excavations that we found if you are interested. Please give me a call so I can have the information pulled and ready for you when you come.
Again, thank you very much for contacting us.
Sincerely,Susan J. Beates
Historian/Curator II
Drake Well Museum
202 Museum Ln.
Titusville, PA 16354
(814)827-1147 ext. 103
-----Original Message-----
From: Drake Well Museum [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, January 23, 2006 4:41 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: FW: Pithole
-----Original Message-----
From: Dan Schreckengost [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Saturday, January 21, 2006 9:21 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Pithole
Hi, my name is Dan Schreckengost and I live in Corry, Pa. I am contacting you to see what your regulations are in regards to a hobbyist metal detector enthusiast like my self using my detector to search for old coins at your Drake Well Museum and Pithole historical locations. I am very conscience about the environment and only make small incisions in the ground to retrieve coins. I do not did larger items. There is little evidence of spots where I have dug.
I have used your trails for hiking, biking and geocacheing in the past and I would appreciate your permission to search these areas with my detector. I would be happy to share with you my finds.
Dan Schreckengost
Dear Mr.. Schrenckengost,
Thank you VERY much for contacting us! However, digging of ANY kind on Commonwealth property without the written permission of the Division of Archaeology, Bureau for Historic Preservation, Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission is ILLEGAL - that includes Game Lands, DCNR (Oil Creek State Park, Cooks Forest, etc.), and PHMC property (Drake Well, Pithole and placed properties like the Ft. LeBoeuf Museum in Waterford or the Erie Art Museum and Erie County Historical Society properties on State Street in Erie).
You see, the items under the ground on Commonwealth property belong to all the residents of Pennsylvania, not just those folks lucky enough to own a metal detector. Items like coins help date the other artifacts found near them (like pottery shards, bones, forks or buttons) that may not have dates on them. Foreign coins prove that the people who lived at or traveled through those areas either came from or traveled to those lands or the coins could prove foreign commerce. Some people today think that this region was a wilderness in the 1860s. Those of us who live here know better but without the proof, it's going to be hard for us to prove it. When people with metal detectors steal those datable artifacts, it greatly diminishes the information archaeologists are able to piece together when an excavation is finally done. I worked on an excavation at the Battles Museums' Yellow House (Girard) once and it was evident that metal detecting had occurred. We found NO coins, nor any other metal artifacts except nails. It was VERY discouraging. Some archaeological excavations have been undertaken at Pithole and another is being planned for Oil Creek State Park (at least archaeologists from the Mercyhurst Archaeological Institute were here a couple of years ago to do research for one). I would be glad to share the information about the Pithole excavations that we found if you are interested. Please give me a call so I can have the information pulled and ready for you when you come.
Again, thank you very much for contacting us.
Sincerely,Susan J. Beates
Historian/Curator II
Drake Well Museum
202 Museum Ln.
Titusville, PA 16354
(814)827-1147 ext. 103
-----Original Message-----
From: Drake Well Museum [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, January 23, 2006 4:41 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: FW: Pithole
-----Original Message-----
From: Dan Schreckengost [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Saturday, January 21, 2006 9:21 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Pithole
Hi, my name is Dan Schreckengost and I live in Corry, Pa. I am contacting you to see what your regulations are in regards to a hobbyist metal detector enthusiast like my self using my detector to search for old coins at your Drake Well Museum and Pithole historical locations. I am very conscience about the environment and only make small incisions in the ground to retrieve coins. I do not did larger items. There is little evidence of spots where I have dug.
I have used your trails for hiking, biking and geocacheing in the past and I would appreciate your permission to search these areas with my detector. I would be happy to share with you my finds.
Dan Schreckengost