Just wanting to ask...and clarify

Rbrackett

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I have a park nearby that was placed in the National Register of Historic Places.
From what I can find, metal detecting is a No-No.
It’s been a public park since 1908. Designated as a Historic Place in 1979.
Once I discovered the park and it’s history I was excited for the chance to take a few hours to search it out. But after reading the laws....not so excited.
Thoughts?
 
National Register of Historic sites are off limits. It's illegal to remove any artifacts from their grounds.
 
National Register of Historic sites are off limits. It's illegal to remove any artifacts from their grounds.

You are aware this designation can be put on a large variety of grounds, of varying public entities. Right ? In other words, those plaques are not just on federal land sites only. They can be on a city or county park, for instance . In fact, they can even be on private land sites .

So ... where is the source of your information, that they are just blanketly off-limits, wherever they appear ? I hunted on of the places on the register, that was on private land. I had permission. Was the person who granted me permission breaking some law ?

Please let us know the source of your information.

Oh, and for sake of this answer, I have no doubt that the vast majority of these markers are, ... of course by their nature ... on sensitive historic monuments. And ... duh ... someone could gripe). So the O.P. would need to give more information as to HIS particular spot.
 
It's a voluntary program. You have to file to have your private property listed with the register. Once registered the property owner retains the right to use the land but the property becomes "protected." Any changes to the property including construction or in this case the removal of "artifacts" from the ground have to go through an extensive approval and permitting process. The property owner can NOT just give you permission. Look up the law if you like.
 
In my area they have bulldozed structures that were on the so-called "Register". Much to the chagrin of us preservationists.

Ok, and so we're supposed to feel bad if we metal detected one before it got bulldozed away ? Sorry, but my "guilt" meter just went way down when I hear of stories like this.
 
I have a park nearby that was placed in the National Register of Historic Places.
From what I can find, metal detecting is a No-No.
It’s been a public park since 1908. Designated as a Historic Place in 1979.
Once I discovered the park and it’s history I was excited for the chance to take a few hours to search it out. But after reading the laws....not so excited.
Thoughts?

Define the "From what I can find" part.

Where did you find and what was it?
 
I guess where I was going with the last post, was if it is a park made for recreation, not like a yard in a former residence, and there is no signage I would go for it.

If the above is run by the city parks department, they won't do anything but tell you to leave. You can always play dumb once, and say...."i thought the historic sign was for something else, after all the dirt here is just as old as the dirt 2 blocks away"

If it's controlled by another entity, spend more time researching.
 
Define the "From what I can find" part.

Where did you find and what was it?

Good question. When this comes up, where someone says "I heard such & such is off-limits", I ask the same thing: "what is your source?"

And often-time, they give a link to where someone ELSE thinks they found a "no". So you try to find out THEIR source. Which is just another link where someone's making the claim. And so on, and so forth, back to permanent regression. Ie.: links lead to links lead to links, which all point back and forth to each other. Yet no one can post a chapter and verse law.

And sometimes when you DO trace it back to an origin, it's someone who asked a pencil pusher, and got a whimsical "no" (safe answer). And now that's just picked up as gospel law from then on out, eh ?

And to make matters worse, 20 yrs. later, when md'rs want to "get to the bottom of this", guess what they'll do ? They'll ask a bored pencil pusher. Are you beginning to see the self-fulfilling vicious loop ? :furious:
 
I have a park nearby that was placed in the National Register of Historic Places.
From what I can find, metal detecting is a No-No.
It’s been a public park since 1908. Designated as a Historic Place in 1979.
Once I discovered the park and it’s history I was excited for the chance to take a few hours to search it out. But after reading the laws....not so excited.
Thoughts?

I see you are new here, so first, Welcome! A thought....Some of the major components of being successful in this Sport are the 'side skills' you either already have at your disposal or can be developed....Rarely talked about in detail...this goes beyond the basics of how to run a rig and settings/coils/gear/research, etc...

Rules of having a Happy hassle free Life in general?....In all activities, 'Situational awareness and Timing' are primary!....Capably assessing 'Opportunity vs Threat' parameters.....No matter what you do in your short time on this Planet, .....these elemental skills apply...."A Lady must always know when to leave a party"....
 

"A Lady must always know when to leave a Party"....This is the advice I give my young Field sales force trainees...They also wanted a deeper explanation...Simply put: Its a self preservation risk avoidance technique, maximize good, minimize bad experiences...A matter of Timing!

In the Business World concept, it means: You are gonna be out in the World of Sales, late night after Trade Shows engaged in Customer butterballing efforts...heavy drinking will be taking place, be aware of your surroundings and whats going on, ALWAYS graciously excuse yourself when the evening is at its height of good times and jovial merriment!...Get the check, cash out, leave the table....Thats what you will be remembered for, people will associate you with FUN and Not blame you for the incoming disaster.......the imminent dangers of Men drinking that are coming down like a building tidal wave in the distance...You cannot stop it, only avoid it, or become its flotsam....

Do not order one more beer, listen to one more joke, or you will NOT make it off the beach in time!...Excuse yourself, take the hit of ridicule being a lightweight! Embrace it! Teasing you is also Fun for them! Wallow in it! ...They do indeed respect your judgement afterwards when you see them the next morning...Then, you can shrug your shoulders and simply say, "Well, my Boss told me, "A Lady must always know when to leave a Party"....

Its funny now, but they have all held witness to ignoring this advice and have stories to tell about the tragic events that transpired......Sometimes it takes a few disasters for a person to heed this, and some never do...same with being out metal detecting or anything else in this World...be aware, know when to leave a party....

Now grown Men, They regale this simple advice as some of the best they ever got, so it seems to stick in peoples minds effectively...It will probably be my tombstone Epitaph...
 
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"A Lady must always know when to leave a Party"....This is the advice I give my young Field sales force trainees...They also wanted a deeper explanation...Simply put: Its a self preservation risk avoidance technique, maximize good, minimize bad experiences...A matter of Timing!

In the Business World concept, it means: You are gonna be out in the World of Sales, late night after Trade Shows engaged in Customer butterballing efforts...heavy drinking will be taking place, be aware of your surroundings and whats going on, ALWAYS graciously excuse yourself when the evening is at its height of good times and jovial merriment!...Get the check, cash out, leave the table....Thats what you will be remembered for, people will associate you with FUN and Not blame you for the incoming disaster.......the imminent dangers of Men drinking that are coming down like a building tidal wave in the distance...You cannot stop it, only avoid it, or become its flotsam....

Do not order one more beer, listen to one more joke, or you will NOT make it off the beach in time!...Excuse yourself, take the hit of ridicule being a lightweight! Embrace it! Teasing you is also Fun for them! Wallow in it! ...They do indeed respect your judgement afterwards when you see them the next morning...Then, you can shrug your shoulders and simply say, "Well, my Boss told me, "A Lady must always know when to leave a Party"....

Its funny now, but they have all held witness to ignoring this advice and have stories to tell about the tragic events that transpired......Sometimes it takes a few disasters for a person to heed this, and some never do...same with being out metal detecting or anything else in this World...be aware, know when to leave a party....

Now grown Men, They regale this simple advice as some of the best they ever got, so it seems to stick in peoples minds effectively...It will probably be my tombstone Epitaph...

:waytogo:

 
In a city park at least, they can have a building or two on the NRHP, without banning detecting in the whole park. The purpose is to prevent buildings from being torn down & having any major external changes made. This is the case in Minneapolis that has two buildings on NHRP in the 100 acre Minneapolis-owned Minnehaha Park.

Back in the 1800s, Minneapolis offered the state this property to become our 1st state park. There seemed to be no interest from the state at the time. Still, even decades later, some maps said Minnehaha State Park, despite it having become a city park in 1890. Whether the offer still stands to transfer ownership to the state is unclear to me.

The park has frequent renovations, new sidewalks, stairs to falls, and fill dirt, which leaves me speculating if state, county, or city historical societies gets some things. About 40 years ago, a detectorist got a dime here down 10" that was clad.

Besides the falls, the park features a picnic shelter that seats about 500, and displays an 1800s train that took people to the falls, even before electric streetcars. Long ago, camping was allowed.

Minnehaha Falls was said to be visited by men from Fort Snelling in 1839. Tourists came to Minnehaha Falls before it became a city park in 1890.
 
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