total newbie needs help

[vll970]

Hi guys, I am completely new to bottle collecting but after researching a few finds from a local yard sale of a lady who collected bottles all her life and had some very cool stuff I bought, I got completely hooked. I really need some help though. I am not sure how to go about finding places to dig. I read a few posts that talked about detectors, but forgive my stupid question, how do you find glass with a metal detector. I even took a walk through the old landfill today. It's just a giant pile of dirt and nothing is sticking out. I live on a small island off the coast of MA and as the place is quite old and has a still existant Indian tribe, I thought it may be a good spot for bottles. A friend of mine found a hole with about 30 identical bottles years ago while hunting along one of the preservation society trails but can not remember the site. He said they were just kind of sticking out. Is this common? He gave me a handfull of these bottles - very cool little guys, look like medicine bottles, all have 79 embossed on the bottom. What could the 79 be? Any help to start me off on my search would be greatly appreciated. This is the coolest hobby ever..
Thanks.

 

[JohnRoy]

Find an old topographical map of your island. What is the name of it, btw? I will try to find something online for you. Seems like I saw a story on cable about a tribe still living on an onine off the coast of MA.

My father was 100% American Indian. I am 50%. If you find an old enough indian, perhaps he/she could direct you to some old home sites.

-John Roy

P.S. If you find a digging partner, make sure it is not one who will not have you stranded once you come out of the bathroom. Digging takes a lot of work. Bottles don't come popping out of the ground. Sometimes you have to have imagination to see beyond 100 years of natural growth.

 

[cowseatmaize]

You may have to take special care too. A small island habitat is a bit more fragile and protected. As with any dig you'll want to backfill the entire hole and try not to leave a lot of sharp stuff for the critters to cut themselves on. Also, errosion may be more of a problem in loose sandy soil. Sorry for the lecture.

You may want to talk to the divers here and take that up. Lots of great stuff has been found underwater.

The detector works because it was very rare to separate glass and metal. Old farm equiptment etc went in the same area.

 

[Humabdos]

Make sure you get permission before you dig! If you dig on Indian land you might end up in prison along with paying a huge fine.
Glen

 

[bigghouse]

i live in essex mass and i find most of my bottles in manchester harbor. i think i pretty much got all those anyway. If u want to find a privy then use a probe. (ask someone will tell u how to use that, i still have no clue) if u tell people u no that u collect bottles most likely people will tell u where they've seen bottles. trust me it works! get permission before u dig. POLICE DONT APPRECIATE IT WHEN PEOPLE DIG BOTTLES!!!

Anna

 

[bigghouse]

got it[] exept everything feels like a stoneliner[][sm=rolleyes.gif][sm=lol.gif]

 

[lexdigger]

LOL. You'll get the hang of it Anna. Just keep practicing. This isn't really the best time of year to be probing. You want to give it a try after a rain when the ground is softer. If it's anything there like it is here right now the ground is as hard as a rock. When it's like that we use a spud bar to bust the ground open and get a hole started for the probe. The more you see what the natural ground feels like the more likely you are to feel a pit when you get in one. Newbie, definatly get permission. Try starting out in the oldest part of town around the oldest houses. If you ask people will let you dig in thier backyard, you just have to make sure you keep it clean and restore it back to what it was before you dug it. Good Luck! Chris

 

[vll970]

WOW. Thanks you guys. I did not expect that many answers so quick.. John, I live on Martha's Vineyard - 7 miles off the southeast coast of MA. The name of the local tribe is Wampanoag. The friend who gave me the few little medicine (I think) bottles is half Indian. I spoke to his father and some of his friends who have lived on the Island their entire lives and everyone seems to agree that there are tons of places they have seen bottle and that when they were young they even used to go and search themselves but no one really remembers a single spot only that it may be along some of the Landbank preservation trails. I have talked to pretty much every person I know who might be old enough to remember but no luck so far..[] I do know where the old landfill is, but I have no idea how old it truely is and it is just a HUGE pile of dirt with some pipes sticking out. Also, I am convinced it is not legal to dig. I don't even think it's legal to be on the property. I will definitely ask for permission if I find a spot to dig but at this point I have 70 square miles of an island to start with...[&o]

 

[bigghouse]

i told u it would work or is probably going to before u no it u'll get bottles from everybody. i got my 85 year old grandpa digging with his hands i dont think he no's its a reservation[:-] i got a shilkz from one of his friends............

good luck!
anna

 

[JohnRoy]

Check out this antique topographic map of Martha's Vineyard:
http://www.wardmaps.com/viewmap.php?map_id=3483

1908, if I remember correctly.

If you compare it to a modern satellite map picture of the island (GIS), and select an option to view the elevation lines, then you can pinpoint these places from the topographic map exactly. I print a GIS satellite map picture with elevation lines and look at it next to the vintage topographic map. I have found some very old privies and cisterns this way. Occasionally I will find a bottle dump nearby, too.

Also has incrediably detailed maps offered for the following years of your island:
1847 | 1855 | 1859 | 1871 | 1874 | 1890 | 1891 Plate 11

Are these not cool or what?

There, I have given away my secret. Go and learn likewise!

-John