Metal Detecting With Old Maps

If you are new to metal detecting or maybe you aren't, I think you are gonna want to read this because part of your frustration is going to be figuring out where you can go or where to seek permission from land owners. I have this cool little technique that may remove some of your pain and frustration. 

Old maps, a smart phone, and Maprika.

Whether your into relic hunting or like finding the old parks for coins etc. this technique should help a lot but you are going to need a smart phone and a free app called Maprika. But first, you are going to need some maps. The Maprika website offers several maps you can download that folks have shared and some of the maps are based on metal detecting sites. I have an opinion on that but I'll share it later. However, most of their maps are not what you want to use. You need to find old maps from years long gone.

Where are the maps?

I'm always searching the Internet for maps and there are several places to grab maps. You just have to find the one that gives you the most detail. I like the maps that provided the land owners of that period of time. A lot of the older maps will have this detail but they are hand written maps and they are really accurate.

When you find a map you want to use you'll need to take a screen shot of the area of the map you intend to use. I'm a APPLE guy so on a APPLE computer there is a <shift-command-4> button combination that will let you draw a box around the part of the screen you want to capture and that combination saves the image to your desktop. Pretty handy shortcut I must say. Once you have the map you want to use this will be the file you upload to your phone and import into Maprika. To get them on your phone, I just email myself the images and save them on my phone.

Living in Maryland, I found some really detailed maps by county going back to 1877 and earlier. The maps are very detailed that include resident names, blacksmith shops, schools, train stations, general stores, wagon trails, and more. I added two good examples. The first image at the top is from 1877 and the one below is dated 1911. If you are into metal detecting, these maps are a gold mine of information!

Like I said earlier, these maps are useful as they are but what if you wanted to overlay today's Google Maps over these old maps and drive around town like it was 1877? That's where Maprika comes into the picture.

What is Maprika and how do you use it?

Without me reinventing the wheel I'll link you to their user guide section off their website. It's pretty cut and dry. They do a pretty good job of explaining how to use it but they mainly market it for folks who ski, hike, or bike. For folks like us who love metal detecting, this little app is amazing. They should consider marketing to us but they really don't so I will :-)


I stumbled into another blog entry from Scott Clark and this guy does a real nice job explaining how to use Maprika with with Windows. It dates back to 2012 but I think it still applies today. He goes into a lot more detail on using it than I do. After all, I'm a APPLE user and I do everything on my phone. He gives you the prospective of a using the software on a Windows PC. Check it out here.

My personal experience using old maps and Maprika

I have it installed on my IPhone 5C and it works like a champ. I've downloaded Civil War Maps from here and tested the accuracy of troop locations during the Gettysburg Campaign and let me tell you it was amazing to drive around Gettysburg and see areas where the fighting took place based on my old map. You almost feel like you are back in time or maybe I'm just a little strange...

Last year (2014) I also used an old residential map with Maprika and mapped my way to an old homestead on a 300 acre farm. In fact, the 1877 map was so accurate, that it took me across a field that once had a wagon trail that took me to the front door step of the old house. The wagon trail is obviously not there today but I walked down the path where it once was! The only thing left of the home was some of the foundation and I never would have found it but Maprika took me right there!

A couple of hints using Maprika. 

They talk a lot about anchors. The more anchors you use the more accurate your map will be. On their website they tell what an anchor is but think of it this way. An anchor is some location today that existed back during the date of the map you want to use. I always look for churches, cemeteries, intersections, bridges etc. and anchor all of those first. Try to get at least 30 anchors on your map before you use it.

Sharing your maps with Maprika. 

This is an option for you if you want to share your map with the world. However, keep this in mind. When you share your map you are also giving up your secret locations of where you are metal detecting. I don't recommend it but I've seen some maps out there that others have shared and all I have to say to them is THANKS for all that hard work that I don't have to do :-)

Are they paying me to talk up Maprika?

Hell no! Its free! In fact, I reached out to them asking them if they had or would make a version that could be used on an IMac because they have a version that runs on a Windows PC. Its easier to create anchor points on a PC first (bigger screen) then port it over to your phone. Unfortunately, they never responded to me and I could care less. I just like the app and I hope it continues to run on these newer smart phones!

Was this useful?

Let me know. I hope someone gets something out of this. I considered throwing up a YouTube video on this but let me know if you think I should.