Detecting metal and history

Posted 7/2/20

It all starts with research. The hobby of metal detecting is really all about digging up history. And, in this game, history begets history.

Sure there are those rare finds -- gold coins have been …

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Detecting metal and history

Posted

It all starts with research. The hobby of metal detecting is really all about digging up history. And, in this game, history begets history.

Sure there are those rare finds -- gold coins have been found in Alba and Quinlan -- which can translate into a significant amount of cash, but in the grand game of metal detecting, it is history which is usually the payoff.

For Cottonwood resident Jerry Tinney, it is not only the payoff, but also the motivation for strapping on his kit and spending hours canvassing a long-abandoned lumber mill or the site of one of the original schoolhouses in the county. 

“History rocks,” he expressed, “I just love detecting.”

Talking to Tinney about his hobby reveals a natural curiosity for what people did who preceded us here in Wood County, and why. Before him, carefully laid out on a long table at the Alba Library, were an array of historical tidbits he had collected. Coins, watch components, buggy parts, jewelry, toys, tools and commercial tokens were among them.  

It was his father, Cecil Tinney, and his interest in history and collecting that Jerry Tinney credits for his interest in detecting.

“My father gave me his collection of 660 Mercury dimes that he recovered from Artesia, New Mexico,” Tinney explained, “and that was the start.”   

With each find that had a historical significance, Tinney related the likely source of the object and the probable reason it was found locally.

He picked up a commercial token he uncovered during a dig just east of Mineola. It was circular, about the size of a half-dollar and read “J.T. Scott Land Company, good for $25 purchase, Tulia, Texas.”

“Now why would this token be found around here?” Tinney posed. Tulia is just south of Happy and east of Nazareth on US 87. He described the research which informed him that early last century many folks in East Texas traveled to West Texas to seasonally work the fields. It is likely that this token returned with one of those workers.

“Research is the key,” Tinney commented. Not only does the development alter the land, but topography itself changes, he explained.

“At the time of the Caddo Indians or the early Spanish explorers,” he continued, “the forests and vegetation may have looked significantly different than today.”

Since Texas became a state many of the small towns were moved after the initial town was damaged by fire.

Alba and Mineola are good examples of this.

“Also, most courthouses in Texas do not sit at their original site due to having lost the original courthouse through fire,” he stated. 

Lost with those courthouses were many early records describing towns and communities.

“Early maps, especially those depicting homesteads and commercial building locations are absolutely the best resources,” Tinney commented. Unfortunately, he explained, most of those type maps are held privately.      

Consulting a 1936 map of the county, Tinney pointed to an area at the intersection of FM 1799 and County Road 2231 west of Mineola.

“There was a saloon at this location and several businesses,” he stated. Although long since gone, this particular intersection has a level area which could have easily hosted a row of early businesses. 

The characteristics of highly-prized old maps and researching just where one might find long-lost valuables give the hobby a sense of challenge and anticipation. 

That anticipation yields a surge of adrenalin anytime the metal detector sounds the correct tone for precious metal.

“I get a charge every time,” Tinney admitted.

He works with a mid-range detector (a Garrett A.T. Pro) purchased at an estate sale which requires a bit more interpretation than some of the top shelf units. 

That interpretive skill comes with practice.      

On a blistering day in mid-June, Tinney secured permission from Golden residents Ralph and Sherri Swoape to sweep the area around their home, believed to be the location of the Friendship School. 

Despite a good 90 minutes of uncovering a number of small metal objects, the hunt did not yield any historical significance. It did recover about a dollar in relatively recent change. 

Tinney expressed no disappointment. He described finding his oldest recovery, an 1880’s Indian head penny and his first silver coin, a Barber quarter, in similar conditions. 

For those interested in a hobby which keeps them actively engaged in history and provides a great sense of individual accomplishment, metal detecting is a solid option.

The popularity of the hobby is growing. The Smith County Metal Detector Association counts 60 members, while Longview hosts the East Texas Treasure Hunters Association.

No formal group exists in Wood County; however, there is no lack of treasure hunting enthusiasts.

For those embarking on their first hunt, a word of caution, abandoned wells pose a very real danger. Even veterans like Tinney prefer to hunt with a partner.