When the metal detector indicated a large, but indefinable mass under the sod, veteran searchers assumed it would be remnants of Civil War soldiers making bullets. So they moved on.
But Nina Meeks, activities director at Heisinger Bluffs, who accompanied the metal detector search behind the care facility, decided she'd do some digging.
A few minutes later, Meeks recovered a palm-sized axe head. She proudly displays it as a paper weight on her desk.
"I was hooked after I found this," said Meeks, who bought a metal detector for herself.
Dozens of other artifacts unearthed in a series of searches on the bluff, used as a Union encampment during the Civil War, have been tastefully mounted in two shadow boxes, currently resting in Meeks' office.
Although they're great conversation starters, Meeks hopes to find a sturdy piece of furniture on which to set the 3-by-4-foot cases, which are too heavy to hang on the wall.
Artifacts include belt buckles, buttons, bullets, broaches, suspender fasteners, lantern parts, a wedding ring, cow bells, harmonic reed, pocket knife, a car thermostat, keys, spoons, a pipe stem, coins, horse and mule shoes, and a wagon wheel wrench.
The pieces came from several different decades, giving a snapshot of the location's history, Meeks said.
Meeks likes to bring new learning opportunities or experiences to residents at Heisinger.
"We don't ever want them to feel like this is a place to die; it's a place to live - learning, growing and interacting," she said.
So when Heimsoth called for permission to search the site, she agreed with the condition they involve her residents.
"They did a great job working with my residents," Meeks said of the amateurs Chris Heimsoth, Mike Kisling and Bryan Wolford.
Before their first search on the grounds, the trio brought their gadgets and experience to the Heisinger Technology Club.
Residents watched from the balconies as the men searched behind the new Heisinger additions. That search recovered more modern pieces, likely from the construction.
The search then moved east behind the St. Joseph Bluffs facility.
As the ground had not been as disturbed, a wealth of artifacts were found.
"It's neat to have such a tangible piece of history," Heimsoth said.
After cleaning and researching the pieces, the metal detectors returned again to discuss the history of the site and then details about the items.
Then, the men returned again to give some residents hands-on experience, using the metal detector at Memorial Park, where they found mostly bottle caps.
These searchers are attorneys and state employees. But they have a love of history, Heimsoth said.
Before they visited the Heisinger location, they had researched the College Hill fort, which included the bluff just east of the U.S. 54 bridge, and the other local fortifications.
"All these things, you pick them up and know there's a story, a person 150 years ago held this," Heimsoth said.
Unlike some unscrupulous treasure seekers who try to make a profit on such items, these men have a respect for the place geographically and historically.
"We ask permission, we don't sell the stuff," Heimsoth said.
They catalog and map their findings. Like with Heisinger, they leave most of the artifacts with the property owner.
"I was impressed with how kind they were to the property," Meeks said.
When they located an item, the searchers carefully cut the sod and flipped it over on a tarp. Once they recovered the piece, they replaced the sod and tamped it down, so one could not tell they had been there, Meeks said.
"It feels like you're saving history," Heimsoth said.