Return to the Lost Colonial Village: Part Two

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, so here is our gift to you; part two of our return to the Lost Colonial Village.  This time the Colonial Relic Hunter makes a find of a lifetime, an original colonial spoon mold buried for over two hundred years.  Meanwhile, the Time Searcher finds a Colonial button.

We'll have more finds coming soon!!  Enjoy the video and if you haven't already, please subscribe to keep up to date on all videos we upload!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE EPISODE

World War I Era: Pittsburgh 18th Heavy Artillery Recruiting Poster

While sorting through some items I bought earlier this year, I came across this photo.  It shows a recruiting poster for a National Guard Regiment in Pittsburgh, PA.  What's interesting is that my research shows there was an 18th Infantry Regiment but nothing on an 18th heavy artillery regiment.  Maybe it was a component of the Infantry Regiment.  Also, note that it refers to the Regiment being "Pittsburgh Finest Club."  Indeed, from the early militia in Colonial America up to World War II, these local militia units that later became National Guard ones acted as social clubs for men in a community.  After World War II, not as much.  The young lady in the photo may have been waiting for her boyfriend or husband while he signed up.

Another story lost in the mists of time.

- The Time Searcher

Colonial Village Revisited: Teaser Trailer

In the spirit of giving, we here at the Time Searchers headquarters decided to give you another little teaser of the upcoming episode.  In this clip, during a spirit box session, The Time Searcher himself is told his future....

The whole episode will be posted later and like always we'll let you know when that's up and ready to be viewed by you.

Movies We Love: Final Countdown - December 7, 1941

Here's a blog entry that I didn't intend to make this day, but I couldn't pass it up.  The December 7 anniversary reminded me of a film called "The Final Countdown."  It's a wonderful movie that explores the idea of time travel when a modern day U.S. Navy aircraft carrier encounters a stage storm-like vortex which disappears after the ship passes through it.

The entire ship and crew find themselves back in time to December 7, 1941.  This situation raises the question of whether a person should intervene and change not only the history of that event, but the entire course of history.  It is a question that all time travelers have to decide.  That is, if time travel is really possible.

Here's the link to the trailer for this film.  It's a Time Searchers recommended film.

- The Time Searcher

War Propaganda - Circa 1942

74 years ago, a date which will forever live in infamy, Pearl Harbor was attacked.  Here is a photo of a propaganda poster published by the U.S. Government in 1942,  This poster reminds the public that the U.S. has to avenge the death and destruction that the Japanese caused us at Pearl Harbor.  After the attack, the U.S. mobilized and destroyed the Japanese Empire.  Japanese Admiral Tamamoto was right when he said that the Pearl Harbor attack had awoken a "sleeping giant".

- The Time Searcher

Lost Colonial Village Find: Medieval Coin

The Colonial Relic Hunter and I were able to do another expedition to the Lost Colonial Village right before Thanksgiving.  We made some exciting finds on this trip.  I was fortunate in finding this medieval coin that dates from the 1100's to 1485.  This is the oldest coin that I have found with a metal detector.  A little known fact is that the American Colonists traded with any coin of value, including medieval ones that were still in circulation in the 1700's.

Photos and video of our finds will be posted soon!

- The Time Searcher

Colonial Spoon Mold Found Intact!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Here's some photos of a find of a lifetime made by the Colonial Relic Hunter.  During the summer, we made a trip into the Time Searcher's Twilight Zone for relic hunting....the Lost Colonial Village.

We had a great day there and the video will be out later this week but we made a lot of finds that day including this spoon mold and a 1785 Spanish Two Reale coin.

Thanks for viewing!!

- The Time Searcher

The Lost Colonial Village: Last Trip of the Season and a Special Message from the Time Searchers Team

So while we here in good old Western PA haven't had the first big snowfall of the year (and cursed the little flakes that did happen to fall), we took one last trip to the Colonial Village.

This time we found some Colonial Coppers and Colonial Buttons.

The Colonial Village has to be one of our top favorite spots to hunt.  We always seem to come back to the headquarters with some good finds.  We can't wait for the seasons to change again so we can get back out there and do more digging.

But who knows, maybe the snow will hold off for a while longer, we'll get some decent days and the Time Searchers can go a hunting again before the end of the year.  If we do, we'll be sure to show you our finds, like we always do.

The episode is located below and can also be found on the Colonial Relic Hunter's YouTube channel which you can click the link to here or find it in our side bar.

We're always looking for your input, so feel free to comment and let us know what you think.  You can also find us on Facebook or follow us on Google+.

Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, we'll be taking a few days off to spend with our families and be thankful for everything we've been given.  We here at the Time Searchers are very thankful for all our viewers and followers.  We love what we do and we love being able to present our finds to you.  With that said, we hope you all have a fantastic and safe Thanksgiving and we'll see you next week!

Happy Turkey Day fellow hunters!

- The Time Searchers Team

This Day in History: The Nuremberg Trials Begin

Today marks the 70th anniversary to the start of the Nuremberg war crimes trials.  This event marked the true end of World War II and the beginnings of the postwar era.  The surviving leadership of the German Third Reich were put on trial for their crimes against humanity.  Some Nazis were tried in other Courts in other countries.  Some Nazi war criminals fled and were caught later.  Like Adoff Eichmann who was tried in Israel and hanged in 1962 for crimes against humanity.  Others were never caught like Joseph Mengele.

Here's an old photograph of the judges deliberation room at Nuremberg that I pulled out of my archives.  The crimes against humanity that some of the Defendant's were convicted of are a dark lesson of history that should never be forgotten.

- The Time Searcher

Erie Railroad Buttons & Pins!

Here's some Erie Railroad buttons and pins I recently ran across in my travels.  The Erie Railroad operated from 1832-1960.  It's route ran from Erie, PA to Chicago in the west and east from Erie, PA to New York City.

Probably a former employee moved to Pittsburgh, PA and that's how his pins and buttons ended up here on the Time Searcher's blog.

- The Time Searcher

Indian Relic Hunt!

Here is it Time Searchers fans!  The Indian Relic Hunt along with a relic roundup.  In this hunt we find the arrowhead that we posted earlier on the blog.

We'll be back soon with another exciting find!

Until then, happy hunting!

- Time Searcher

BARN FIND - 1880's Bayonet

Here's an old socket bayonet that I found in my explorations over the weekend.  You never know when a part of the past will surface.  This piece was long hidden away in the crevices of an old barn that I was permitted to crawl around in.  This find shows what I have been telling the Colonial Relic Hunter for years: not all the relics are in the ground.

- The Time Searcher

Indian Relic Hunt: The Arrowhead

Here's a picture and review video of an Indian arrowhead that I found in June, 2015 on the Indian Relic Hunt that we did.  There were lots of greats finds on that hunt and the full episode of it will be released on BillTheRelic's YouTube channel.

We here at The Time Searchers love the colonial relics, but the Indian artifacts are always a great find that help us to relate to the first inhabitants of North America that to this day, most people don't know very much about.

We here at The Time Searchers are very much about learning not only about the past, but about the culture of the people who left these relics for us to find.  It still amazes us that years ago these objects belonged to a person, or helped him or her survive in the world that was so different from ours.

Until next time!

- The Time Searcher

Archaeological Dig Photo!

Here's an old tourist photo taken of an archaeological dig near Rome, Italy in 1957.  I will assume that the dirt was sifted at another location.  I don't think that any digs today would look like this one.  They didn't even grid the area off.  I wonder what treasures they did find....

- The Time Searcher

The Time Searchers Go Hunting: The Lost Colonial Village

The Colonial Relic Hunter holds up his amazing find.

With winter soon approaching, relic hunting season is coming to a close for the 2015 season.  We got the opportunity last week to get out of the Time Searchers Headquarters to hunt at the Lost Colonial Village.  The episode of this hunt will be released later on Billtherelic's YouTube Channel (and of course we'll have a post on that premiere), but we wanted to bring you some pictures of this find.  The Colonial Relic Hunter found his fourth Spanish Two Reale coin from this site.  This one is a 1803 mintage.  Below you can check out the close ups of this great find.  We'll be posting more of what we found, so keep checking back.

Until next time!

- The Time Searcher

The Time Searcher's Meet the Not So Friendly Ghost but Find Some Amazing Relics

Greetings fellow relic hunters!

Today we're pleased to bring you the latest episode from The Time Searcher's series.  A few days ago we posted a clip of the spirit that communicated with us, but here's the full episode.  We're back at the colonial village where we find some British Coppers, colonial buttons, Spanish Reale, and of course, our not so friendly ghost.  This has to be one of our favorite episodes that we've shot over the years.  It was really a fun and exciting trip.

So go ahead and check out this episode.  We'll back soon with more interesting finds!

Until then!

- Time Searcher

The Time Searchers Encounter a Ghost (Spirit) Who Uses Some Vulgar Language

With Halloween soon approaching (5 days and counting), here's a funny clip from an upcoming Time Searcher's show.  This episode will be coming out within the next day or two over at Bill the Relic's YouTube channel, so be sure to check it out.  I'm not entirely sure many followers know this, but the Time Searcher's also dabble in ghost hunting.  We feel that in order to really understand the relics we find, we should understand the people that were connected to these items we dig for.  Sometimes a spirit can be attached to an item, and it's a fantastic idea to think that we might be communicating with the spirit of the person who owned this piece of the past.  Could it be possible that they may have something to say to us?  We've had some amazing encounters since we started ghost hunting, but this one is a classic as far as I'm concerned.  Great finds and some of the off the wall stuff that you would expect from the Time Searchers!

Enjoy the video and find you next time!

- The Time Searcher

The Lost Colonial Village: Fall 2015 Preview

Good day fellow relic hunters!

Here's a video preview of an upcoming video we shot last week.  It shows our finds that we found at the Lost Colonial Village.

We'll post the video when it airs!

Good luck hunting!

- The Time Searcher

The Men Who Relic Hunt America

Above is an old photograph taken locally in Western Pennsylvania.

It reminds me of some places that me and the Colonial Relic Hunter have been to in the past.  Mostly, we are searching for 19th and 20th century layers of finds to get to the earlier 18th century items.  But, there are interesting 19th and 20th century items to find too.  Old bottles and coal company tools are my favorites.

This picture reminds me of the History Channel's mini series entitled, "The Men Who built America."  Indeed, we live and metal detect in the heart of Andrew Carnegie's and Henry Clay Frick's old stomping grounds.  All of the rich history that surrounds us makes for the potential of a great day's relic hunting.

Until next time fellow history hunters!!

- The Time Searcher

This Day in History: The Beginning of the Cuban Missile Crisis - October 16, 1962

We here at the Time Searcher's Blog understand the importance of not just the relics we find in the field, but the remembrance of historical past events.  We decided to start our new series titled "This Day in History," and take a look back at some of the more major events of the past.  The Time Searcher usually has something laying around that he found on  hunt that correlates to the topic at hand!

 

On October 16, 1962, a thirteen day confrontation between the United States and the then Soviet Union over Soviet ballistic missiles began in Cuba.  In response to the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion, Cuba requested placement of nuclear missiles to deter future harassment of the County.  Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev agreed to terms during a secret meeting with Fidel Castro in July and a that summer a number of missile launch facilities were constructed.  The whole ordeal played out publicly on national television, and became the closest moment the Cold War came to escalating into a full nuclear war. 

While an election was underway in the States, the White House denied charges set forth by Republicans that it was ignoring the problem of Soviet missiles some 90 miles off the coast of Florida.  Despite the increasing evidence of a military build-up in Cuba, no U-2 flights were made from September 5^th until October 14^th, but when the Air Force sent a U-2 spy plane over Cuba, it returned with photographic evidence of both medium range and intermediate range ballistic facilities.  On October 19th, EXCOMM formed separate groups to examine the options of an air strike and blockade and ultimately settled on the blockade option.  At 7 p.m. on October 22, President John F. Kennedy delivered a nationwide televised address on the discovery of the missiles, and during this speech a directive went out to all U.S. forces worldwide placing them on DEFCON 3; the United States established a military blockade of Cuba, preventing any more missiles from the Soviet Union to enter the Country.  The U.S. demanded that they would not permit any offensive weapons to be delivered to Cuba, and those already there needed to be dismantled and returned to the USSR. 

On the evening of October 25th, William Clements announced that the missiles were still actively being worked on, which was later verified by a CIA report suggesting there had been no slow down at all.  President Kennedy responded with the issue of the Security Action Memorandum 199, which authorized the loading of nuclear weapons onto aircraft under the command of SACEUR.  The Soviets responded to the blockade by turning back 14 ships, all of which were presumably carrying offensive weapons.  The next morning, Kennedy informed EXCOMM that he believed an invasion was the only way to remove the missiles, but was persuaded to give it time and continue with both military and diplomatic pressures.  In agreement, he ordered the low-level fights over Cuba to be increased from twice a day to once every two hours.  It was at this point the crisis was ostensibly at a stalemate.  The Soviet Union showed no indication of any retreat and made several comments to the contrary.  The United States had no reason to believe otherwise and was in the early stages of preparing for an invasion, which included a nuclear strike on the USSR in case it responded with force, which was already assumed. 

That same day, Castro was convinced an invasion of Cuba by U.S. forces was imminent, and he sent a telegram to Khrushchev that appeared to call for a preemptive strike on the United States.  In a 2010 interview, however, Castro said only of his recommendation of a Soviet attack on American before they made any move against Cuba. 

October 27th, promptly at 6 a.m., the CIA delivered a memo reporting that three of the four missile sites at San Cristobal and two sites at Sagua la Grande appeared to be fully operational.  They noted that the Cuban military continued to organize for action, even though they were under no order to initiate action unless attacked.  That same day, a U-2A, which was modified for air-to-air refueling and piloted by USAF Major Rudolf Anderson, was hit by a S-75 Dvina SAM missile launched from Cuba.  After, the stress negotiations between the USSR and the U.S. intensified and it was later learned that the decision to fire the missile was made on site by an Soviet commander acting on his own authority.  However, later that day several U.S. RF-8A Crusader aircraft on low-key photo reconnaissance missions were fired on as well. 

After much deliberation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, Kennedy agreed to remove all missiles set in southern Italy and Turkey which boarder on the USSR, and in exchange of this, Khrushchev would remove all remaining missiles in Cuba. 

For the next 24 days the U.S. continued their blockade of Cuba.  On November 20, 1962, effective at 6:45 pm, the blockade was lifted. 

While the scars of the Cuban Missile Crisis ran deep, it was the closest the two powers came to nuclear war.  The Cold War officially ended in 1991 with the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

October 16, 2015 marks the anniversary of the beginning of the Cuban Missile Crises on 1962.  This was the height of the Cold War when people feared the world would be destroyed at the push of a button.  Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed and the Kennedy Administration and the Soviet Union reached an agreement where the Russian Missiles based in Cuba were removed.  In exchange, the U.S. agreed to quietly remove it's missiles from Italy and Turkey.  The picture and video above are of a fallout shelter sign that was a common sight in the U.S. during the Cuban Missile Crisis.  Another relic from the past.