This is fairly common in PA, where when you buy a house you don’t buy the right of the land underneath to support it. You have to buy special mine subsidence insurance in case the coal mines underneath your residential neighborhood collapse.
Several buildings in the western part of Springfield, Ill are being affected by old coal mines settling.One of my ancestors had oil under his property, but couldn’t drill for it since he lived in a village that banned drilling!
This started with the Homestead Acts – the feds gave away the land (which in most cases was nearly impossible to sell because people poor enough to take up a farm in remote regions couldn’t afford the land), but reserved the mineral rights under it (which would be worth hard cash, even if very little). Land that was sold (or granted for soldier’s back pay and other government debts) before the 1860’s usually comes with mineral rights, although it’s possible that these were sold off later. On land that passed from federal to private ownership after 1862, even by cash sales, generally the mineral rights were sold separately.
David W Cairns almost 9 years ago
When mine’s on top of yours.
Kip W almost 9 years ago
But you do get the shaft.
jtviper7 almost 9 years ago
The answer… Homestead, and you can pan for gold in the toilets.
wbtthefrog almost 9 years ago
This is fairly common in PA, where when you buy a house you don’t buy the right of the land underneath to support it. You have to buy special mine subsidence insurance in case the coal mines underneath your residential neighborhood collapse.
jpsomebody almost 9 years ago
It’s where tighty whiteys come from.
Dewed almost 9 years ago
Undermine is … underwear with a lode in it.
neverenoughgold almost 9 years ago
Better under mine than yours…
whiteaj almost 9 years ago
Only a couple of states have real estate sold with underground rights any more. You own the surface of the land. Nothing else.
tuslog64 almost 9 years ago
Several buildings in the western part of Springfield, Ill are being affected by old coal mines settling.One of my ancestors had oil under his property, but couldn’t drill for it since he lived in a village that banned drilling!
markmoss1 almost 9 years ago
This started with the Homestead Acts – the feds gave away the land (which in most cases was nearly impossible to sell because people poor enough to take up a farm in remote regions couldn’t afford the land), but reserved the mineral rights under it (which would be worth hard cash, even if very little). Land that was sold (or granted for soldier’s back pay and other government debts) before the 1860’s usually comes with mineral rights, although it’s possible that these were sold off later. On land that passed from federal to private ownership after 1862, even by cash sales, generally the mineral rights were sold separately.