Mudlarkers DISCOVER Ghost Town's FORGOTTEN History while Metal Detecting!

Ajouté : 2026-05-05

[00:00:00]What's up everyone and welcome to another historic waterway here in Alabama. This particular site that we're going to be searching today for antique treasures is right in the middle of an old coal mining ghost town. So, you never know what you're going to find.

[00:00:14]We're hoping for valuable antique glass relics and other items that were left behind well over a century ago. Let's go see what we can find today. We're back out with our Garrett Vortexes. And I just had a really good target right over here next to Miranda.

[00:00:28]Oh, you found it. I found it. I knew it was big.

[00:00:31]>> Big piece of iron. I've got a pretty good signal over here that I've popped out already. And I left my camera in my bag. So, I walked back over here. I left my shovel right here where I wouldn't forget where it was at. You look right in front of my shovel tip.

[00:00:47]You can see what I think is something pretty neat. Oh, yeah. Probably.

[00:00:54]>> What is it?

[00:00:55]>> I don't know if it's a brooch piece.

[00:00:57]>> Oh, really?

[00:00:58]or a large button or what it could be.

[00:01:05]>> That's pretty neat.

[00:01:05]>> Turn it over.

[00:01:08]>> That's crazy.

[00:01:10]>> Could have been a cap to something, too.

[00:01:11]>> Could have been some good stuff in here.

[00:01:13]Miranda's detectors are going nuts because there is iron everywhere in here, guys. So, we're picking through the iron today, but we know there's going to be some good relics left. This is the first one. So, let's see what else comes out. I was swinging back over the hole where I just pulled the little brooch piece out. And this bottle was actually there. It caught my eye. Just a tiny sliver of it sticking out. Going to definitely be turn of the century around 1910ish.

[00:01:38]You see where it said must be returned.

[00:01:40]Remember back then they would take the bottles and reuse them multiple times.

[00:01:42]They would see be sent back to the bottler, washed, cleaned, refilled, and sent back out. So we're definitely in a hot spot. Let's see what else we can find. So, a lot of times people wonder how we find these spots where we like to metal detect in the riverways. And often times it's just the breadcrumbs that are left behind from the past like pieces of glass, old bricks. All of this stuff is a good sign that there was a lot going on in the area. And we have found a ton of bottles. But if you look though, look at the sheer abundance of bricks that are right here in this spot that we're detecting right now. That tells us that there was definitely something going on.

[00:02:20]Definitely worth us probing around with the metal detectors to see what else could come out. I even saw a piece to a jug while ago. So, you just absolutely never know. If you see jug pieces, at least here in Alabama, that usually means that you're going to be pre-rohibition, which hit here in 1920. So, that's what we want is we want to stay in that century old plus bracket. And that doesn't mean that we don't find modern stuff, but it means that we've got a chance to find the old stuff. As a matter of fact, Brandon's been over here finding a bunch of modern stuff. What you got that sour look on your face for?

[00:02:55]>> I dropped all three of my quarters.

[00:02:57]>> She found three quarters and I left the pouch in the truck. So, she stashed them in her, you know what, and they fell out when she bent over. And it's kind of deep right here.

[00:03:10]Where are they?

[00:03:11]>> Here's one. That's the only one that didn't fall out. And there's two that's out there and another one that I was about to find.

[00:03:17]>> And the reason for these are from the swimmers, the kayakers, and the fishermen. So again, we find modern stuff, find cell phones, but we're really here for those century old relics. Hey, look, there's a piece to a jug right there.

[00:03:29]>> I know. I just dug that up.

[00:03:30]>> Oh, you dug that up?

[00:03:33]This is what I was telling you guys about.

[00:03:35]>> The quarter was underneath it.

[00:03:37]>> Really? That's hilarious. So, it shows you how the currents work. But again, that's pre- prohibition right there, guys. So, let me help her find her quarters, then we'll get back to it. So, you saw the silver colored quarter, which was a 2008. And you could tell that it hadn't been in the water very long. But usually these coins and anything that's been in the river for a significant amount of time has this red patina to it, like this 1998 quarter.

[00:03:59]So, Miranda's got a token signal down here. We have found several good tokens.

[00:04:06]And we try to film all these live just in case.

[00:04:11]>> Was that it?

[00:04:12]>> I think that's a rock. You want me to reach in?

[00:04:14]>> Yeah. I'm holding the detector and everything.

[00:04:19]>> Is that it? I see copper.

[00:04:21]>> Where? Oh, right there. Isn't it? Is that it?

[00:04:24]>> No.

[00:04:29]It's so hard.

[00:04:30]is hard. We're in kind of elbow deep water.

[00:04:37]It's right there. Come on. Oh, I see it.

[00:04:41]See the edge?

[00:04:42]>> Oh, yeah. That's it.

[00:04:44]>> Let's see what we got. Might be a quarter. Oh, that is not a quarter. Look.

[00:04:50]>> It's another fox and co.

[00:04:52]>> That's a big one. That's a big one right there. Look at that.

[00:04:57]It's the 25 cents V trade. Heckiest.

[00:05:00]>> That is the best one we found in here, too. Wow. That thing's in immaculate condition.

[00:05:06]Holy cow. J Fox and Co. Brookside, Alabama.

[00:05:11]>> I'm good for You are stomping me right now. Holy cow. Look at that.

[00:05:15]>> Another quarter.

[00:05:16]>> I did. I mean, it's the size of a quarter, which I mean, I guess that's why it says 25 cents. Holy cow, babe.

[00:05:21]That is That's one of the better finds that we found in here. These old tokens are awesome.

[00:05:28]Look at you.

[00:05:32]That is awesome. She was like, "Hey, it's reading in the 70s on the vortex."

[00:05:37]And I said, "I don't know if it's going to be something good or not."

[00:05:39]>> Little symbol in the middle.

[00:05:40]>> It does. It looks like a like a floral design, maybe.

[00:05:46]It's kind of hard to make out, but that is absolutely fan freakingastic.

[00:05:51]>> Yes.

[00:05:52]>> Heck yeah, guys.

[00:05:53]>> I told you there's good signals all right here. Let's dig them all. All right, let's go get them. So, in this deep water, we decided to just swing one detector and help each other recover the targets as we go. And Miranda just uncovered a pocket knife right there in front of her. We can see the edge of it.

[00:06:10]>> Hey, it's a good one.

[00:06:11]>> Oh, look at that.

[00:06:12]>> Still got the wood side on it.

[00:06:13]>> It does still have the wood side on it.

[00:06:16]>> I love finding those.

[00:06:17]>> Yeah, I do, too. We found a bunch of pocket knives in here.

[00:06:20]>> Yep.

[00:06:21]>> That's a cool one, though, baby. Heck yeah. We'll take it.

[00:06:24]>> It got a badge on it. Yeah, it's got a badge right there. Cool.

[00:06:27]>> So, we'll keep going. See what else we can find. The relics keep appearing. I mean, there's a lot of good signals in this little spot. Here you go, guys.

[00:06:34]Take a listen to this.

[00:06:37]Solid 75. You can see that I've already raked around down here a little bit and I've got it uncovered right there in front of us. It's going to be a ring and it's probably going to be a coal miner wedding band. The coal miners didn't have a ton of money back then and that is a really neat find actually. It was screaming at us. You see a little bit of the green patina and that red patina that is going to be prominent from the river here. And this thing's probably about 120 years old. We'll absolutely take that. Let's see what else we can find. We're finding a ton of relics right now.

[00:07:13]Got a solid 77 to 80 signal right here.

[00:07:17]There's no walking by it.

[00:07:21]Almost looks like a minor's tag down there. No, that's not it. Is >> that a rock?

[00:07:25]>> That's a rock. You think >> on it?

[00:07:28]>> Yeah.

[00:07:30]That red patina in here. Oh, I see the edge of it. Do you see it?

[00:07:33]>> No.

[00:07:34]>> Right there. There it is.

[00:07:35]>> That's a minor tag.

[00:07:37]>> That is not a minor tag.

[00:07:40]>> What is it?

[00:07:41]>> You got a token again.

[00:07:46]What does that say?

[00:07:48]>> Sonos.

[00:07:49]>> So >> souvenir of soals. S O K O L S.

[00:07:56]50th anniversary. Okay. This one's not as old as the J. Fox one she found earlier. It says 50th anniversary 1910 to 1960.

[00:08:08]>> So it was 1960.

[00:08:09]>> Hey, that's cool though. Look, it says nine great stores in Alabama. So it is local.

[00:08:15]says, "This good luck coin is worth $5 on your purchase of $50 or more at SOALS. Limit one coin credit >> gas station."

[00:08:24]>> I don't know.

[00:08:27]Says, "Must be presented at time of purchase." That's a cool find, babe. I know it's not as old as what we like to find, but hey, she's had a two token day. Look at you.

[00:08:38]She's killing it.

[00:08:41]She >> a 45. A 45.

[00:08:45]>> It's worth digging, though. We We're digging all it.

[00:08:47]>> Oh, you see it already?

[00:08:49]>> Oh, I see it, too.

[00:08:50]>> Is it a harmonica rig?

[00:08:52]>> No, that's going to be a buckle.

[00:08:55]Oh, that's a nice one, babe.

[00:08:57]>> That's not so >> That looks to be art deco.

[00:09:00]>> Is there something else in there?

[00:09:02]>> So, probably 1920s on that one. Could have been. No, I think it's just all the iron around it. But hey, those little 45 signals pay off. That's a nice one.

[00:09:11]We'll take it. I've got a friend back here. He keeps landing on me. And I keep thinking that I have a not a dragonfly, but a horsefly. And I hate those things.

[00:09:22]It keeps freaking me out.

[00:09:24]>> Your neck is burnt.

[00:09:25]>> She says I'm burnt. Probably am. April in Alabama. We've already had an 88°ree day. Hard to believe. It's super nice out here today, though. So, had to take my shirt off because it was soaked. And the water is a little chilly. But I am soaking up the sun after this winter.

[00:09:42]Look at all these little guys. Looks like they're excited about the warm weather, too.

[00:09:48]Well, we didn't film this one as a live dig, but Miranda just pulled another buckle out. She is absolutely stomping me into the ground. You can see they're celebrating back there.

[00:09:57]>> See how my shirt is, too.

[00:09:59]>> Yeah, she's >> And my hair >> she's been bending over, getting all wet. But this is absolutely gorgeous buckle, too. These are not the typical ones that we find in here. It does appear to be deco period to me in the 1920s. I could be wrong, but hey, that's two nice buckles and two tokens for her.

[00:10:17]I'm going to have to do some catching up.

[00:10:20]It's a little bitty crawfish right there.

[00:10:24]>> Oh, he's fast.

[00:10:25]>> Oh, there he went.

[00:10:26]>> He took off. So, I've got a nice 67 signal right down here. Typically, these signals are miners tags, but I don't see it yet. said I wanted to fan it out live for you guys.

[00:10:39]Maybe, maybe not.

[00:10:47]I swear it's right there.

[00:10:50]Oh, I see it, man. I went all the way around it. Look at that. That is not a minor's tag.

[00:10:56]What are you?

[00:11:01]Wow, that thing is gorgeous. Hey, babe.

[00:11:02]I got something pretty cool.

[00:11:05]>> What? I don't know. Look at this thing.

[00:11:11]What do you think this is?

[00:11:15]>> Oh, that's pretty.

[00:11:18]>> Think that went on a dresser or something?

[00:11:21]Or do you think it was a brooch?

[00:11:22]>> Dude, that's heavy.

[00:11:24]>> I think it's brass.

[00:11:27]I thought it was a minor tag the way that it read.

[00:11:30]>> That's heavy. That's solid brass. Oh, is that a marble?

[00:11:33]>> You see a mar? It is a marble. Look at you. Is >> that a garble?

[00:11:36]>> I think so.

[00:11:36]>> It is.

[00:11:38]>> Got that junk alive, too.

[00:11:40]>> Yeah.

[00:11:41]>> Look at you. It's clay.

[00:11:42]>> It's a solid clay white one. I never find those like you.

[00:11:46]>> Look at that.

[00:11:47]>> Shoot you.

[00:11:48]>> Wow. This spot is just loaded, guys.

[00:11:50]We're finding all kinds of stuff.

[00:11:52]>> Look at my goosebumps.

[00:11:53]>> You chilly?

[00:11:54]>> I look like chicken.

[00:11:57]>> Yeah, that right there is really cool, guys. Clay marble and another what appears to be deco period item. Very decorative. We're on the good stuff.

[00:12:05]We're not going to spend a lot of time on these today, but this is how you know we're in a coal mining town. Miners tag number 26. First one of the day. Miners tag number two. 564.

[00:12:18]So 564.

[00:12:21]Miners tag number three. Number 47.

[00:12:25]This one is crunchy. Miners tag number five. We can't even get any ID on this one. Miner's tag number six. Number 56.

[00:12:36]Second knife piece of the day. This would have had a wood handle. You can see where it would have been, I guess you would say, braided or riveted to it.

[00:12:43]We found quite a few of these in here as well.

[00:12:46]>> I don't know what this is.

[00:12:49]>> Looks like a pocket watch piece to me.

[00:12:51]>> What's the other one?

[00:12:53]>> I don't know. It could have been part of They're >> side by side.

[00:12:56]>> That's definitely a pocket watch piece.

[00:12:58]You can see where the second dial would have been up there.

[00:13:01]See the little imprint?

[00:13:03]>> Oh, yeah.

[00:13:04]>> Sometimes these have something on them.

[00:13:09]>> These plates doesn't look like this one does. That's a good size one, though. That's pretty cool. I'd like to find a whole one in here though with a face on it or an ID.

[00:13:18]>> I would like to climb a gold one.

[00:13:20]>> You want a gold one? Yeah. We're going to set the set the goals high, right?

[00:13:26]Brandon just scored this button. At first glance, you would think that it was like one of the old basket weave buttons from the mid 1800s. However, it's made from aluminum. And look, there's still a piece of thread on it.

[00:13:36]So, not nearly as old. Still a pretty cool little find, though.

[00:13:40]How about a hammer? Every now and then, we check out the big iron signals. This one's definitely been in here for a pretty good while, but this one's turned into a conglomerate.

[00:13:49]Has literally leech pieces of the riverstone to it, and they are stuck really, really well to it. Either way, don't belong in here and we'll get it out. All right, Miranda just scored a lantern piece. Take a look at that. It has the hole on top where the wick would have came through. And this is definitely pre-elect electricity. So, we will take that. Just pulled this out. At first glance, I actually thought that it was just the back to like a battery that would go into a watch, but it does say something. It says Revlure or Revlon. I bet it's Revlon 60. probably the end of a lipstick tube.

[00:14:28]Still pretty cool. We'll take that find.

[00:14:30]So, as mentioned earlier, the glass that you see in the bottom is a key, but also buttons. Brandon just spotted this little button right down here.

[00:14:41]And that's a nice jar filler if the current doesn't take it away.

[00:14:46]There we go, guys. We will take that.

[00:14:49]So, overall, we had a pretty good day at the river. The vortexes treated us right. The token right there is definitely going to be the find of the day though. That's going to date back to around 1900 to 1910.

[00:15:03]And that is a super cool find. We have found two others. Both were just about completely roached. And this one's in fantastic condition. This was just kind of a bonus token. Yeah, it's only about 66 years old, but still pretty cool because it's local from Alabama. We did some research and they had stores all over the state and those nine stores were in Tuscaloosa, Bessemer, uh, Birmingham, I think I read Silicaga, Tallaladega, and a couple other places.

[00:15:30]So, they were kind of abundant. The miners tags, there were more. However, we ran into a subscriber while we were at the river that follows along with our video adventures. He had never found a minor tag, so we gave him a couple of the minor tags that we pulled from the river because we have an abundance of them. We did get some modern change. I think Miranda still has some of that in her pocket. And the nice little clay marble along with the pocket knives.

[00:15:53]This little piece up here, I'm not sure if that went to a dresser or maybe the front of a door. I have no idea. And these buckles were actually really pleasant to find because usually the ones we find are not nearly as decorative. I believe they date to around the 1920s. And of course, the wedding ring. That's always cool to find a personal possession. If you guys enjoyed today's video and you're new to the channel, be sure that you're subscribed and we will catch you guys in the next adventure.