Tried using a metal detector in my own backyard, found a 1890s railroad spike

I spent $200 on a basic detector last month and dug up 37 pull tabs before hitting something solid. Turned out to be a rusted spike from the old B&O line that ran through here 130 years ago. Anyone else find random stuff that makes you wonder what else is buried under your lawn?

3 comments

3 Comments

emmag2220d ago

Used to think it was just junk but you might be onto something.

sean_torres7124d ago

Woah, hold on. @daniel474 is right about old maps, but heres something nobody brings up. That spike might be MORE than just a railroad relic. Think about it. Railroad spikes back then were often the CHEAPEST most available metal around. People used them for ALL sorts of things. Ive seen old houses where spikes were used as weird door hinges or even makeshift grave markers in forgotten family plots. Your lawn might be hiding the edge of something much older than the railroad itself. Maybe an old cistern or a foundation from before houses were even built. That piece of metal could be a clue to a whole different layer of history nobody ever writes down.

daniel47425d ago

You ever watch those shows where people find Roman coins or old weapons in their backyard? Always makes me wonder how much history is sitting just a few feet under our houses. I heard somewhere that in older neighborhoods, the ground can hold stuff from a hundred or more years of people living there. That railroad spike sounds like a solid find, probably got some cool stories attached to it if it could talk. Might be worth checking old maps of your area online, see what used to be on that spot before your house was built.