Monsieur Walt !! here's one for U :
"Following is a listing of places to search, what to look for, methods used to conceal valuables, and items I have found or saw someone find.
1) Under walkways (very important spots): Landowner could see cache, too much work for a thief to remove the stones. I once found a slave collar (a very valuable collectors' item today) under a stepping stone at an old underground railroad stop. In this instance, I doubt if the slave planned to retrieve it.
2) Old-fashioned square door locks were occasionally used to hide currency. Also, hollow handles in tools were used.
3) Rocks were sometimes hollowed out, valuables put inside, then the rock was turned over, with open side down.
4) Fence posts, and those used to hold clothes lines, were sometimes hollowed out and used as hiding places.
5) False bottoms to feed bins in barns and pastures were used to hide money.
6) Old house shingles were sometimes made with a small cavity on one side, valuables placed inside then the shingle was put on the roof. This practice was also used in log cabins. Another method was to carve a cavity in a log in a cabin, then hide money in it.
7) Hollow bedsteads (where the top of each leg could be screwed oft) were used. Coins, etc., were dropped inside.
8) Old clothing stored in closets has been used to hide currency. (Author's Note: I once saw a man find $5, 000 in the lining of an old housecoat.)
9) Shelf paper in kitchens: Currency would be put on one sheet, then another sheet put on top of it. Anyone looking for money would remove the paper and if nothing was under it would then throw it away, never realizing the money was between the sheets.
10) Flower gardens were favorite sites for housewives to hide valuables.
11) Inside bicycle tires were good places to hide currency, especially on long trips.
12) Cushions on couches and chairs were used to hide valuables.
13) Wagon seats and horse harnesses were places farmers preferred for concealment because they were almost always close by. Later ...
14) tractor seats were used for the same purpose.
15) A modem method of concealment is to put currency in greens, then put them in the freezer.
16) Around Boy Scout camps, search the lofts of all cabins. This is a favorite place for boys to hide small items or money.
17) Around military posts (both old and new) search all barracks locations, inside and out, for caches. Remember, these men were stationed here, in some instances, for long periods of time. You would be surprised at the amount of money that was won by an individual soldier during poker games and then hidden. The man was later transferred to another post and had no chance to retrieve his "cache."
18) When checking houses:
A) Look around fireplaces, door and window casings, under stairways, rugs and closet floors.
B) Watch for lumped or sagging places in wallpaper.
C) Search under porch floors, in basements, especially in the corners and between the foundation stones.
D) In closets, check the ceilings for a small cavity built here to store valuables.
19) Examine any prominent landmarks you think someone might have used.
20) Do not overlook the barns and outbuildings of old farms because 50-100 years ago the farmer spent most of his time with livestock around the barn. All flat, horizontal supporting beams should be checked (this is a good place for a small cache). Look over all supporting posts to see if they are hollow, especially if they were made by nailing 1 x 6 boards together. (I know a man who found a good cache his grandfather had put into a hollow barn post some forty years before).
21) Look at the shingles used in roof coverings of old barns, outbuildings and cabins, also all flat rafters used for support.
22) Check old outhouses, along the rafters and the cornerstone foundations.
23) The chicken house was a favorite place to hide valuables because chickens are excellent "watch dogs."
24) Check old fence rows. Years ago, farmers used what was called "post-hole" banks.
25) Don't forget the area around the well or spring. Rocks inside were loosened, valuables put behind them, then the rocks replaced. No one would suspect that the farmer was getting or hiding his money when he went for a drink of water. (I once saw a cache that was found in the bottom of a spring.) Also, check a line between these places and other possible markers.
26) Another overlooked spot is what was called a "tater hole" in older farm houses. This was a cavity in lieu of a basement, that was dug in front of the open fireplace, usually with a trapdoor, to store potatoes, turnips, apples, etc., during the winter.
27) In old log cabins (these can still be found in rural areas) use the same procedure as searching in an old house (# 18), except be sure to search the "chicking" (insulation) between the logs and the corner foundation stones. These two spots were favorite places to hide valuables. Also, search both inside and outside of the chimney.
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