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March 26th 2005 With a couple calls, I was into two side by side 1880's places right on the Avenue. Mike was MIA today. He wanted to "play it by ear" and then he and both his ears disappeared. Probably had a BBD on hold and the phone rang. And as things had it, Rod called and wanted to dig something. Cousin Jerry was bored and said he wanted to tag along too. We met outside the front of the two houses and met the owners. One owner said, Follow me and I'll show you right where an open stone liner is". We went around back and into his new garage and he stood in the middle of the concrete floor and said, "It's right about here". We probed around outside the garage and felt nothing else. Next door was the same thing but worse, as besides the garage, there was only blacktop. Owner A. said he thought the little old lady in the 1850 across the alley would let us dig, so Rod stuck a probe straight into a woody against the alley and had several nice thin glass pops. The little old lady was not at home, and we debated just digging it, as it was really on city property being right on the alley, but decided to play it safe as always, and wait for a chance to get permission. Rod had a permission in another small town a few miles away so we peeled out. We got to the small town and Rod said, "Whats the address". Huh ? It's YOUR permission," I said. "Oh man I gave it to you a week or so ago don't you remember it" ? He said. So we looked for a house that had a certain kind and color of pickup truck in it. We actually found it, and hopped out to probe. This was a really old looking place and it had a carriage house on fieldstone. We stabbed and jabbed and Rod dowsed. After managing to stick about 2 pounds of dog crap onto each boot, we headed for the corner market for refreshments and smokes. We thought we would go back and grid probe, but Rod remembered a field up the road where I had permission to artifact hunt, and told me how it was plowed and rained out. We decided to pay it a visit. It's a bonafied Hopewell village site, and also was the location of a roadside toll house from the early 1800's. I happened to have my detector with me (as always) so away we went. Rod and Jerry headed out to a higher ridge and I detected the area where the toll house was. I have found some good early coins there over the years, mostly large cents from the 1820's, and a couple of bust dimes. Rod came away with two hafted scrapers / blunts, I came away with two rifle casings, and Jerry came away with two muddy feet. We cruised back to Harrison and
tapped again on the door of Mrs. woodypit. She was still out, or so it appeared.
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