Need Help with Ethical Dilemma.....

You've got the land owner's permission. They want you on the cemetery board. I'd say go for it. If you are worried about people thinking you're some grave desecrator, wear an orange or green safety vest, and a hard hat. Tell anyone who asks you are with the Historical Society, and you are doing some preliminary site survey work. The vest & hat make you appear more official. You are with the Historical society and you are doing a form of site survey and you have agreed to turn over any artifacts you find.

Sorta like the difference between Trash Man vs Sanitation Engineer.
 
I would hit it. I have had permission to hunt them before and done so.It's not grave robbing. (not even close)the deepest you will dig would be maybe 12 to 14 inches and if you come across a body at that depth I would call the police.Even in the the 1800's they knew they had to bury their dead at a good depth.They didn't want the wild animals to get grandmom now did they.I would go for it , but I would show and let the owmer have anything I found as it might pretain to thier family.I have found some very nice coins in grave yard (old coopers)Some the onwers wanted and some just said keep'em.I would not hunt with out permission. Goodluck and HH

I would LOVE to hear that 911 dispatch call.

"Yeah...uhhhhh...I'm metal detecting this old cemetery, and when I dug this hole I found a body!"

Not criticizing at all, but I'd definitely get a kick out of hearing that.
 
I would doit...I mean it'snot like you're detecting on the GRAVES...you're just by the fence....
 
If anybody sees you hunting a cemetary , all they know is you look like a grave robber , regardless of how careful you are. Things like this make detectorists look bad and further sets it in the minds of the public that we are all a bunch of nuts. Its best to avoid cemetaries and the areas nearby for that reason , plus it is the final resting place and I dont think it should be disturbed for the promise of personal gain.

IMHO, people see us and we are doing something different from normal activities seen in the area. In a cemetary, the risk of offense to family or non-family is tremendous and we as detectorists should proceed with caution. A small bad perception or offense could suddenly create other big problems.

For this reason, I have opted NOT to even do the parking strip around the cemetary since some don't know when public access stops and the cemetary starts. Consequently, I categorically avoid the temptation an look for other places less controversial.

But that's me.
 
i would definatly do it, hunting the perimeter from dirt thats from a different location, and being on the board with permission, your covered all the way around, ethicly, moraly and every other way, i would definatly take that cortes off your hands if the price is decent!!!!
 
I go along with Rudy.
If you don't feel good about it, don't do it.

I don't hunt on the Graves, but along the paths and roads.
People drop stuff and that's what I'm after.

Some people have taken this issue to extremes.
But, that's how they feel, while others pick-up the goodies.

I'd hunt a Cemetary at night on a full moon.
With my black cat just before a big storm comes.:no:
 
Neg-A-Tory

Too many other places to go that you could never hunt in this lifetime. The public's view of seeing someone MD'ing around a cemetary would be extremely dim in my opinion, and bring on only unwelcome attention to the person doing it and the hobby in general.
 
Quit worrying what others think. If you are in the right place, and have permission to hunt there, GO FOR IT.

First off, nobody is going to think you are grave robbing. Most people think we are weed-eating unless they look at us really close.

Secondly, if anybody gave you problems, call the cops. You are on private property with permission. Anyone else is tresspassing.
 
Apply common sense

Like all things in life, common sense applys, people leave momento's. nuff said.
 
If you have permission, I dont see a problem with hunting around the outskirts of the plots and whereever there are no buried remains.
I would not hunt on top of the plots out of respect for the families and It would feel a little erie. :crazy:
 
Quit worrying what others think. If you are in the right place, and have permission to hunt there, GO FOR IT.

First off, nobody is going to think you are grave robbing. Most people think we are weed-eating unless they look at us really close.


Many people have seen metal detectors and can identify them on sight but dont know they only go a foot or less into the ground , and they dont know your intentions ,...yes its very possible you will be judged as a grave robber or something else just as bad, especially if they see you stooping over to dig a hole in a graveyard. People dont know, they assume. This is how we end up with groups who try ban metal detecting , all the negative things they have seen detectorists do even if they just assumed something about what was done it still does just as much damage.
 
Just wanted to point out a lot of you are giving advice to the OP about a situation he posted about 2.5 years ago! Check the date on the thread.
 
:lol: yep you are right, I didnt even notice the date. But since these threads are archived , they serve as good information for someone else reading later so its all good.
 
Ok, so I will make it quick....

I don't think that it would cause any harm....

BUT........

Just imagine if your very close loved one has been laid to rest & you wake up one morning reminissing her/him so you decide to go to the cemetary & low and behold, there is someone with a metal detector, better yet some type of digging tool right next to your loved ones grave...

Sit back & think honestly, how would you feel??????????
 
Ok, so I will make it quick....

I don't think that it would cause any harm....

BUT........

Just imagine if your very close loved one has been laid to rest & you wake up one morning reminissing her/him so you decide to go to the cemetary & low and behold, there is someone with a metal detector, better yet some type of digging tool right next to your loved ones grave...

Sit back & think honestly, how would you feel??????????

The original post (old as it may be) said it was A PRIVATELY OWNED CEMETARY. This isn't something that you are going bury grandma in tomorrow. This is a place that hasn't seen an internment in generations.

People throwing out emotional rhetoric like this maddening. Debate an issue, not emotions. And if you feel emotions might have a play in the argument, than at least make you know what the argument is. :no:
 
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I"M sorry, but whats the big deal.

I'm a Christian. Even so, I don't see whats the big deal. A cemetary is a park where bodys are buried. I wouldn't MD on the graves but would have no problem in other areas. Besides you are NOT finding things the bodies in the graves lost, unless, they lost them while at someone elses funeral :(
Somebody tell me why a coin that fell out of someone's pocket at a cemetary would be any more 'sacred' than one that fell out of someone's pocket at a park.
Another thought that just hit me, Do you think landscapers, or anyone else digging in a cemetary leaves behind any coins or whatever that they find.
Like anything else you do in life, its not necesarilly where you do it but how you do it.
 
Metal detecting and cemeteries don't mix, except for on a rare occassion with specific goals, and here's what happened to us....

A local historian found an old cemetery on the edge of an old farm field. It was accessible by foot or ATV. He researched it, spent some time with the property owner and visited the site. All of the headstones were missing ~ each and every one of them. There was information of soldiers from the War of 1812 and other wars buried there with military markers on the graves. They wanted to find these specific graves, as well as the other graves and try tro determine who was buried where.

Members of our forum were asked to go in with metal detectors to try and determine these graves. We were not comfortable with it and requested another alternative be sought. They were adamant we try to find the metal military markers, at least....

So, for the sake of the historical society, we went in. We poked and prodded the ground in the sunken areas where we thought graves were, and were able to determine where people were buried. We didn't use metal detectors across the graveyard. HOWEVER, at the request of the historians, we attepted to find metal markers in the ground where we determined headstones and such markers might be located.

We were specific in our search and had a simple goal in mind.... find those iron military markers at the area of the headstone.

The graveyard was severely oveergrown with saplings and underbrush. We managed some signals where we thought markers might be, but we only recovered nails.

We were VERY uncomfortable with detecting inside the cemetery, but since our services were requested, we secluded our searches to the headstone areas ONLY.

The town is now required by state law to go in and clear the graveyard. We will leave details of finding the markers to the town. We have no interest whatsoever of going in and detecting, but if they request us to go in again, we will do so ONLY if the headstone areas are known, and ONLY if it is a last resort to find the military markers.
 
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