Field Priorities

Detector Mode

The goal is not to find treasure. The goal is to understand the island through responsible exploration. Photograph in place. GPS the location. Never disturb archaeological features, Indigenous sites, structural remains, or anything resembling unexploded ordnance.

This app does not encourage digging archaeological sites. Detector ratings reflect historical reasoning — where ordinary people lived, worked, and gathered — not permission to dig.

[C]Resort · 1858–1917

Ottawa House Grounds

★★★★★

Likely finds

Coins & tokensBrass & bone buttonsBuckles, keys, jewelryBottle hardware & harmonica reeds

Highest recoverable-object density on the island. Focus where people stopped, sat, gathered, and unloaded luggage — not the middle of the lawn.

[C]Military · 1898–1945

Fort Levett — Battery Foote

★★★★☆

Likely finds

Uniform buttonsBrass fittings & tent stakesMess kit fragmentsNails, hinges, utility hardware

Soldiers lost most objects where they lived, not where they fought. Sweep barracks pads, walkways, and observation points rather than the parapet itself. Never disturb ordnance.

[HC]All eras

Calumet & Whitehead Avenues

★★★★☆

Likely finds

CoinsButtonsHorse tackBottle glass

Search five to ten feet off each side of the roadbed, never in the crown.

[C]Military · 1898–1947

Fort Levett Parade & Fire-Control Complex

★★★★☆

Likely finds

Military uniform buttons and insigniaCartridge brass (small arms, training)Mess and utility hardwareCommunications wire and porcelain insulators

Respect the private-community boundary and any posted federal-remnant zones. Never dig at or near concrete structures — record surface finds and location, and leave any ordnance in place (see the unexploded-ordnance safety card).

[HC]Colonial · 1623

Levett's Cellar & Spicer's Cove

★★★☆☆

Likely finds

Hand-forged nailsRedware / coarse earthenware sherdsClay pipe stemsBrick fragments

Treat as a landscape first, a detector site second. Stay outside obvious structural remains. Do not disturb archaeological context.

[HC]Resort · 1858–1917

Steamboat Wharf & Ottawa Landing

★★★☆☆

Likely finds

Iron spikes and drift pinsCoal fragments and clinkerCoins and hotel tokensBroken bottle glass (resort-era)

Detect only on the upland approach, never on the intertidal crib. Photograph any iron fastening in place — the pattern of pins is more informative than any single object.

[L]Legend · c. 1632

Lobster Cove & Crab Point

★★☆☆☆

Likely finds

Modern debrisOccasional colonial-era iron

Enjoy the story, document the landscape, and move on. Spend no more than 20–30 minutes here.

[HC]Military · 1917–1919

District Wireless Station Site

★★☆☆☆

Likely finds

Ceramic insulator fragmentsCopper antenna wire scrapsSmall brass hardware

A short, focused sweep. Photograph any ceramic insulator or copper wire in place before moving it — these are the diagnostic finds for a wireless site.

[HC]Pre-contact · 10,000+ ya

Spring Cove Shoreline Terraces

★☆☆☆☆

DO NOT DETECT. Do not disturb shell middens or stone scatters. Photograph, GPS-pin, and report significant observations only.

[C]Landscape · All eras

White Head

★☆☆☆☆

Do not detect. The cliff edge is unstable in places; stay well back and photograph from the marked overlooks only.

[C]Maritime · All eras

White Head Passage

★☆☆☆☆

Nothing to detect — this is a water feature. Photograph from the White Head overlook and from the north-shore bluffs to document the sight-lines that mattered to gunners and pilots alike.

Suggested three-hour itinerary

45 min — Ottawa House grounds
45 min — Military roads and former barracks areas
30 min — Battery Foote perimeter and engineering observations
30 min — Levett Cellar and Spicer's Cove (observation first)
20 min — One western cove for the Dixie Bull investigation
10 min — Sit on the rocks. Compare notes. Well-earned beer.