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Church grounds ???

Clint in KY

Full Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2011
Messages
187
Location
Far West Kentucky
Interesting idea for permissions. Have you ever considered asking the pastor of a church for permission to MD the church's grounds?

A week ago, sitting with the pastor of the church I attend, before a Family Fun Night, I asked if I could MD the mowed land behind the church where the kids play soccer and Frisbee . He said "Sure" and then proceeded to tell me that when the local family donated the farm to the church, there used to be three homesteads on the property. The farm (now the churches') property extends much farther than the mowed section. He also said that old homesteads are easy to find because if you find lilies they almost are planted around them.

Now I am waiting for my once fixed shoulder to heal so the doctor can re-fix it to start my laying out a grid pattern of the mowed area and doing it first before I traipse into the tall grass behind it.
 
Wish you luck in healing and when the time comes to hunt it!

My family had donated property to a church (mid 1800's) with the stipulation that if the church ever ceased to exist, the property reverts back to the family.

I've no doubt Dad would have detected it decades ago, as he and mom were members there.

I'm 600 miles away now.
 
Few years back I asked the priest of a historic Catholic Church in my area for permission to hunt the grounds and large field behind. Original church burned in 1905 and was rebuilt. I talked to an old-timer that said the grounds were hit hard in the 1980’s and 90’s. Ended up doing well, silver ring, Barber dime, mercs, silver quarter and a Morgan dollar. Father Mike also gave me the go-ahead to hunt the cemetery across the street! (I didn’t).

At an old Baptist church in the village, I was granted permission to hunt the grounds by the pastor there, under the condition that no liability waivers were involved. Other hunters had produced these forms in the past, and pastor sent them packing.
 
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At an old Baptist church in the village, I was granted permission to hunt the grounds by the pastor there, under the condition that no liability waivers were involved. Other hunters had produced these forms in the past, and pastor sent them packing.

Haha, I love this post !

Sometimes md'rs think that salvage contracts (with language about splits of finds, blah blah blah), and liability waiver contracts and insurance, blah blah : Will Cement them permission.

But as your situation shows: That's the FASTEST way to get a 'NO'. Eg.: Show up on a stranger's doorsteps, with contracts for them to sign. :roll: All that does is conjure up images of legal hassles and trouble. :shock:

A handshake is all that's needed. If the property owner themselves brings something bureaucratic up, then sure, sign papers. But otherwise, do NOT shoot yourself in the foot before you even start :roll:
 
I've only hunted two churches in my years of detecting. Permission was granted at both, one a church that dated back to the 1870's and another one that dated back to the 1750's. The 1750 church gave up nothing but rusty nails. The 1870 church gave up an Indian Head cent and a Mercury dime.
 
Few years back I asked the priest of a historic Catholic Church in my area for permission to hunt the grounds and large field behind. Original church burned in 1905 and was rebuilt. I talked to an old-timer that said the grounds were hit hard in the 1980’s and 90’s. Ended up doing well, silver ring, Barber dime, mercs, silver quarter and a Morgan dollar. Father Mike also gave me the go-ahead to hunt the cemetery across the street! (I didn’t).

At an old Baptist church in the village, I was granted permission to hunt the grounds by the pastor there, under the condition that no liability waivers were involved. Other hunters had produced these forms in the past, and pastor sent them packing.

Does that church happen to be on a road named after said church in a 45 mph zone?
 
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