Public Dive Meeting in Mobile
November 16, 2005
Last weeks public meeting in Selma was well represented by divers. Forrest, Spencer and I were accompanied by Don Sublett, John Trott and Kevin McCauley. Four dive instructors from Adventure Sports in Montgomery came and spoke. Bob Cox from Gulf Coast Divers in Mobile came to speak as he always does when possible. Archie Phillips missed an important meeting in Birmingham so he could be with us in Selma. Archie is of course an excellent speaker and well known throughout the state for his TV show Alabama Hunting and Fishing. Our opposition were represented by the "Professional" Archaeologists and several old ladies who work for the little museums in Selma. As best I could tell our oppositions position is that since they are unable to dive and find relics that they don't think anyone else should either. The "Professional" Archaeologists don't want anyone to find anything unless one of their group of collaborators is paid to get their permission.
Blaah! Blaah! Blaah!
I carried about 7 books that are some of the standard reference books used to identify Civil War relics. All of these books are written by using individual collectors such as myself to help the authors. No "Professional" Archaeologist or museum has written any reference books on Civil War relics that have been found on land or underwater. When I was speaking one of the museums ladies interrupted me and said that I make a living selling relics. I then told her that I buy relics from museums but I don't sell relics. She then yelled out "Well you sell books." I guess she actually thinks we shouldn't write or sell books. These folks don't make any sense at all and they don't understand how bad their jealousy and greed is for the public in general.
This week we have another meeting. Tomorrow night, November 17th from 5:30 - 7:30 P. M, this meeting in Mobile is the last public meeting concerning the new regulations that will allow divers to find isolated finds. The meeting will be located at the Mobile Government Plaza, First Floor Multipurpose Room, 205 Government Street. Use the Joachim Street entrance. Please attend if you can.
Letters need to be written to the Alabama Historical Commission and to their directors. I am including their contact information below. They are accepting written public comments until Dec. 9th. At the end of this email I am also including copies of 2 excellent letters that were written by authors of Civil War reference books. Please write your letters as soon as possible and send me a copy of what you write.
Thanks,
Steve Phillips
Southern Skin Divers Supply
4515 5th Ave. South
Birmingham, AL. 35222
205-595-3052
http://www.ssdsupply.com/
[email protected]
Dear Commissioner,
As a Civil War historian, author, and publisher of collector?s reference books and North South Trader?s Civil War magazine I have been monitoring Alabama?s recent situation regarding diving and artifact recovery legislation with great interest. Regarding this issue I have read a great deal of rhetoric about rights, restrictions, archaeological integrity, artifact context, and the like. However, I have yet to read about the contributions of relic hunters and divers to the historical record. Most people, it seems, are under the impression that such recoveries by hobbyists benefit only themselves. Despite the apparent logic of this assumption based on most hobbies it is most assuredly not the case with regard to this hobby.
In 1973 I helped establish, and now own, NSTCW magazine?a periodical dedicated to presenting artifacts as historical documents. At the time I believed the greatest resource available to me for artifact research for articles would be public institutions, libraries, and archaeological resources. I was profoundly mistaken. By far, the best source for such information proved to be amateur relic hunters, divers, and collectors. With very few exceptions, this private sector provided endless material for research: study collections, photos, maps, field data logs, etc. Since 1973, I have written and published scores of books and several hundred editions of NSTCW as a result of the collaborative efforts of amateur hobbyists. Not only that, but dozens of other authors have been able to utilize this resource for information enabling them to collate and publish countless reference books and articles on a wide variety of subjects on the Civil War from minutia such as buttons to comprehensive battlefield studies. Through these efforts we have been able to augment, verify, and even correct the historical record.
All of these works have been made available to the general public. You may be surprised to learn that not one book has been published on field studies by the ?professional? sector for public consumption. Yet, archaeological field reports utilize the amateur?s books for reference and relic identification for their ?in-house? reports. In fact, the books assembled and published by hobbyists line the reference bookshelves of most National Park Service, military history, and archaeological research libraries.
Despite this vast contribution to the historical record the merits of amateur relic hunters continue to be viewed with suspicion and even contempt by legislators, archaeological lobbies, the media, etc. Unfortunately, we amateurs don?t have a lobby defending our rights, opposing restrictive legislation, polishing our public image, or issuing press releases lauding our contributions. What we do have is proof via scores of books and many hundreds of articles published over the past 40 years.
Look at the in-house field studies of the archaeological sector on historic sites such as Little Big Horn, Stones River Battlefield, The Cowpens, Murfreesboro, and a dozen other battlefields from the Rev War to the Indian Wars. You will see our books in the Source Credits of the field reports of the very people who are trying to disparage and restrict us. Look on the Internet for books on Civil War relics. You will find countless books by the amateurs and none from the self-styled ?professionals.? No one is doing more to promote history and educate the public via artifacts than the amateur relic hunter and diver.
I urge you to consider what we have done and are continuing to do for the historical record of our nation. Don?t restrict us. Don?t legislate against us. Defend us. Enable us. Nurture our efforts. Celebrate and enjoy the fruits of our labors. We will continue to provide information for your children and their grandchildren about the history of America through its relics. We need your support, not your condemnation, to do this.
Sincerely,
Stephen W. Sylvia
Publisher
Jack W. Melton, Jr.
2394 Rice Pond Road
Charleston, SC 29414
November 8, 2005
To Whom It May Concern:
I have been collecting Civil War artifacts since 1974 and since that time have written two Civil War reference books on Civil War artillery. Field Artillery Projectiles 1861-1865 and Melton & Pawl?s Guide to Civil War Artillery were published using my own time and money. These books are the standard reference for Civil War artillery projectiles. Without the help from collectors and relic hunters these works would not have been published. Every collector opened up their collections for photography and study without asking for anything in return. During the past two decades hundreds of Civil War reference books have been published with the help of the amateur historian, relic hunter, diver, and collector. I have personally photographed almost sixty front cover shots for the North South Trader?s Civil War magazine published in Orange, VA. This magazine is devoted to the collector and has articles written by collectors and amateur historians alike. My website, CivilWarArtillery.com, is the largest website on the subject with over 800 pages of information available to the public for free, at my expense. Without the assistance of the relic collector and hobby diver community I doubt that the thousands of websites, articles, books, journals, and knowledge would have been written at all.
I have read the proposed regulations for the Alabama Underwater Cultural Resources and I think these do what the legislators intended to do when the original law was passed a few years ago. These proposed laws will control salvage of cultural resources, primarily shipwrecks and allow divers to find isolated finds not associated with cultural resources. In order to clarify the regulations and prevent confusion of divers and law enforcement personnel I suggest you add the following two sentences:
Isolated finds that are not listed on or determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places are not covered by the definition of cultural resources in the laws. Recreational gold prospectors are not affected by these regulations unless the gold dust that they might find is a part of or associated with a cultural resource.
Scuba schools and people that are involved in the diving industry should be appointed to the Maritime Advisory Council so divers can be aware of future concerns that will affect them.
I am indebted to the collectors and divers for sharing their knowledge.
Sincerely,
Jack W. Melton, Jr.
Here is the contact information for the Commission members:
Elizabeth Brown
468 South Perry Street
Montgomery, AL. 36130-0900
[email protected]
1. Mrs. Janice Hawkins (res.) 110 McKinley Dr Troy, AL. 36081
office Troy State University 110 McCartha Hall, Troy, AL. 36082
home phone 334-670-3475 office phone 334-353-5889 or 334-670-3370
e-mail: [email protected]
Chair: 2. Mr. William Drinkard
Drinkard Development, Inc. 1301 Welti Rd SE Cullman, AL. 35055
Drinkard Development PO Box 996 Cullman, AL. 35056-0996
home phone 256-775-0200 office phone 256-738-1815
e-mail: [email protected]
Secretary: 3. Mr. Kippy Tate
State Building Commission
770 Washington Ave Ste. 444
Montgomery, AL. 36130-1150
office phone 334-242-4082
e-mail: [email protected]
Treasurer: 4. Mr. Bobby M. Junkins, Etowah County Probate Judge
PO Box 187
Gadsden, AL. 35902
phone 205-932-4519
e-mail: [email protected]
5. Dr. James "Ike" Adams Jr.
The University of Alabama
Dean, School of Social Work
Tuscaloosa, AL. 35487
phone 205-348-3924
e-mail: [email protected]
6. Honorable Lucy Baxley
Alabama State House, Ste. 725
11 South Union St.
Montgomery, AL. 36130
phone 334-242-7900
e-mail: [email protected]
7. Dr. Edwin Bridges, Alabama Department of Archives and History
PO Box 300100
Montgomery, AL. 36130-0100
Phone 334-242-4435 or 334-242-4441
e-mail: [email protected]
8. Mr. Nicholas Cobbs Jr, Attorney
1110 Main St.
Greensboro, AL. 36744
phone 334-624-4202
9. Honorable Seth Hammett, Speaker of the House of Representatives
PO Box 1776
Andalusia, AL. 36420
or
Room 519-A, 11 South Union Street
Montgomery, AL. 36130
Home phone 334-222-4469
office phone 334-242-7668
e-mail: [email protected]
10. Mr. Barnett Lawley
Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
64 N. Union St.
Montgomery, AL. 36104
phone 334-242-3486
e-mail: [email protected]
11. Mr. Danny Cooper
Alabama Association of Realtors
PO Box 4070
Montgomery, AL. 36103-4070
phone 334-262-3808
[email protected]
12. Mr. Guy Spencer
PO Box 45
Huntsville, AL. 35804
[email protected]
13. Mr. Stephen Martin
Alabama Education Association
PO Box 4177
Montgomery, AL. 36103-4177
phone 334-834-9790
e-mail: [email protected]
14. Dr. Geri Moulton
University of South Alabama
307 University Boulevard
Mobile, AL. 36685
phone 251-460-6111
15. Mrs. Vivian Paul
148 S Jackson St.
Grove Hill, AL. 36451
home phone 251-275-3949
office phone 251-275-4131
16. Honorable Bob Riley, Governor
Alabama State Capital
600 Dexter Ave
Montgomery, AL. 36130
17. Mr. Lee Sentell
Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel
PO Box 4927
Montgomery, AL. 36104-4927
18. Mr. Steve Sharp
702 Piedmont Lake Rd.
Pine Mountain GA. 31822
home phone 706-663-8776
cell phone 706-289-4714
19. Dr. Craig Sheldon
AUM, Department of Anthropology
7300 University Drive
Montgomery, AL. 36117-3596
home phone 334-567-8942
office phone 334-244-3765
20. Dr. Robert Jakeman
Auburn University History Department
310 Thach Hall
Auburn, AL. 36849
phone 334-844-6634
e-mail: [email protected]
21. Dr. Dan Bennett
Auburn University, Dean, School of Architecture
202 Dudley Hall
Auburn University, AL. 36849
phone 334-844-4285
e-mail: [email protected]
November 16, 2005
Last weeks public meeting in Selma was well represented by divers. Forrest, Spencer and I were accompanied by Don Sublett, John Trott and Kevin McCauley. Four dive instructors from Adventure Sports in Montgomery came and spoke. Bob Cox from Gulf Coast Divers in Mobile came to speak as he always does when possible. Archie Phillips missed an important meeting in Birmingham so he could be with us in Selma. Archie is of course an excellent speaker and well known throughout the state for his TV show Alabama Hunting and Fishing. Our opposition were represented by the "Professional" Archaeologists and several old ladies who work for the little museums in Selma. As best I could tell our oppositions position is that since they are unable to dive and find relics that they don't think anyone else should either. The "Professional" Archaeologists don't want anyone to find anything unless one of their group of collaborators is paid to get their permission.
Blaah! Blaah! Blaah!
I carried about 7 books that are some of the standard reference books used to identify Civil War relics. All of these books are written by using individual collectors such as myself to help the authors. No "Professional" Archaeologist or museum has written any reference books on Civil War relics that have been found on land or underwater. When I was speaking one of the museums ladies interrupted me and said that I make a living selling relics. I then told her that I buy relics from museums but I don't sell relics. She then yelled out "Well you sell books." I guess she actually thinks we shouldn't write or sell books. These folks don't make any sense at all and they don't understand how bad their jealousy and greed is for the public in general.
This week we have another meeting. Tomorrow night, November 17th from 5:30 - 7:30 P. M, this meeting in Mobile is the last public meeting concerning the new regulations that will allow divers to find isolated finds. The meeting will be located at the Mobile Government Plaza, First Floor Multipurpose Room, 205 Government Street. Use the Joachim Street entrance. Please attend if you can.
Letters need to be written to the Alabama Historical Commission and to their directors. I am including their contact information below. They are accepting written public comments until Dec. 9th. At the end of this email I am also including copies of 2 excellent letters that were written by authors of Civil War reference books. Please write your letters as soon as possible and send me a copy of what you write.
Thanks,
Steve Phillips
Southern Skin Divers Supply
4515 5th Ave. South
Birmingham, AL. 35222
205-595-3052
http://www.ssdsupply.com/
[email protected]
Dear Commissioner,
As a Civil War historian, author, and publisher of collector?s reference books and North South Trader?s Civil War magazine I have been monitoring Alabama?s recent situation regarding diving and artifact recovery legislation with great interest. Regarding this issue I have read a great deal of rhetoric about rights, restrictions, archaeological integrity, artifact context, and the like. However, I have yet to read about the contributions of relic hunters and divers to the historical record. Most people, it seems, are under the impression that such recoveries by hobbyists benefit only themselves. Despite the apparent logic of this assumption based on most hobbies it is most assuredly not the case with regard to this hobby.
In 1973 I helped establish, and now own, NSTCW magazine?a periodical dedicated to presenting artifacts as historical documents. At the time I believed the greatest resource available to me for artifact research for articles would be public institutions, libraries, and archaeological resources. I was profoundly mistaken. By far, the best source for such information proved to be amateur relic hunters, divers, and collectors. With very few exceptions, this private sector provided endless material for research: study collections, photos, maps, field data logs, etc. Since 1973, I have written and published scores of books and several hundred editions of NSTCW as a result of the collaborative efforts of amateur hobbyists. Not only that, but dozens of other authors have been able to utilize this resource for information enabling them to collate and publish countless reference books and articles on a wide variety of subjects on the Civil War from minutia such as buttons to comprehensive battlefield studies. Through these efforts we have been able to augment, verify, and even correct the historical record.
All of these works have been made available to the general public. You may be surprised to learn that not one book has been published on field studies by the ?professional? sector for public consumption. Yet, archaeological field reports utilize the amateur?s books for reference and relic identification for their ?in-house? reports. In fact, the books assembled and published by hobbyists line the reference bookshelves of most National Park Service, military history, and archaeological research libraries.
Despite this vast contribution to the historical record the merits of amateur relic hunters continue to be viewed with suspicion and even contempt by legislators, archaeological lobbies, the media, etc. Unfortunately, we amateurs don?t have a lobby defending our rights, opposing restrictive legislation, polishing our public image, or issuing press releases lauding our contributions. What we do have is proof via scores of books and many hundreds of articles published over the past 40 years.
Look at the in-house field studies of the archaeological sector on historic sites such as Little Big Horn, Stones River Battlefield, The Cowpens, Murfreesboro, and a dozen other battlefields from the Rev War to the Indian Wars. You will see our books in the Source Credits of the field reports of the very people who are trying to disparage and restrict us. Look on the Internet for books on Civil War relics. You will find countless books by the amateurs and none from the self-styled ?professionals.? No one is doing more to promote history and educate the public via artifacts than the amateur relic hunter and diver.
I urge you to consider what we have done and are continuing to do for the historical record of our nation. Don?t restrict us. Don?t legislate against us. Defend us. Enable us. Nurture our efforts. Celebrate and enjoy the fruits of our labors. We will continue to provide information for your children and their grandchildren about the history of America through its relics. We need your support, not your condemnation, to do this.
Sincerely,
Stephen W. Sylvia
Publisher
Jack W. Melton, Jr.
2394 Rice Pond Road
Charleston, SC 29414
November 8, 2005
To Whom It May Concern:
I have been collecting Civil War artifacts since 1974 and since that time have written two Civil War reference books on Civil War artillery. Field Artillery Projectiles 1861-1865 and Melton & Pawl?s Guide to Civil War Artillery were published using my own time and money. These books are the standard reference for Civil War artillery projectiles. Without the help from collectors and relic hunters these works would not have been published. Every collector opened up their collections for photography and study without asking for anything in return. During the past two decades hundreds of Civil War reference books have been published with the help of the amateur historian, relic hunter, diver, and collector. I have personally photographed almost sixty front cover shots for the North South Trader?s Civil War magazine published in Orange, VA. This magazine is devoted to the collector and has articles written by collectors and amateur historians alike. My website, CivilWarArtillery.com, is the largest website on the subject with over 800 pages of information available to the public for free, at my expense. Without the assistance of the relic collector and hobby diver community I doubt that the thousands of websites, articles, books, journals, and knowledge would have been written at all.
I have read the proposed regulations for the Alabama Underwater Cultural Resources and I think these do what the legislators intended to do when the original law was passed a few years ago. These proposed laws will control salvage of cultural resources, primarily shipwrecks and allow divers to find isolated finds not associated with cultural resources. In order to clarify the regulations and prevent confusion of divers and law enforcement personnel I suggest you add the following two sentences:
Isolated finds that are not listed on or determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places are not covered by the definition of cultural resources in the laws. Recreational gold prospectors are not affected by these regulations unless the gold dust that they might find is a part of or associated with a cultural resource.
Scuba schools and people that are involved in the diving industry should be appointed to the Maritime Advisory Council so divers can be aware of future concerns that will affect them.
I am indebted to the collectors and divers for sharing their knowledge.
Sincerely,
Jack W. Melton, Jr.
Here is the contact information for the Commission members:
Elizabeth Brown
468 South Perry Street
Montgomery, AL. 36130-0900
[email protected]
1. Mrs. Janice Hawkins (res.) 110 McKinley Dr Troy, AL. 36081
office Troy State University 110 McCartha Hall, Troy, AL. 36082
home phone 334-670-3475 office phone 334-353-5889 or 334-670-3370
e-mail: [email protected]
Chair: 2. Mr. William Drinkard
Drinkard Development, Inc. 1301 Welti Rd SE Cullman, AL. 35055
Drinkard Development PO Box 996 Cullman, AL. 35056-0996
home phone 256-775-0200 office phone 256-738-1815
e-mail: [email protected]
Secretary: 3. Mr. Kippy Tate
State Building Commission
770 Washington Ave Ste. 444
Montgomery, AL. 36130-1150
office phone 334-242-4082
e-mail: [email protected]
Treasurer: 4. Mr. Bobby M. Junkins, Etowah County Probate Judge
PO Box 187
Gadsden, AL. 35902
phone 205-932-4519
e-mail: [email protected]
5. Dr. James "Ike" Adams Jr.
The University of Alabama
Dean, School of Social Work
Tuscaloosa, AL. 35487
phone 205-348-3924
e-mail: [email protected]
6. Honorable Lucy Baxley
Alabama State House, Ste. 725
11 South Union St.
Montgomery, AL. 36130
phone 334-242-7900
e-mail: [email protected]
7. Dr. Edwin Bridges, Alabama Department of Archives and History
PO Box 300100
Montgomery, AL. 36130-0100
Phone 334-242-4435 or 334-242-4441
e-mail: [email protected]
8. Mr. Nicholas Cobbs Jr, Attorney
1110 Main St.
Greensboro, AL. 36744
phone 334-624-4202
9. Honorable Seth Hammett, Speaker of the House of Representatives
PO Box 1776
Andalusia, AL. 36420
or
Room 519-A, 11 South Union Street
Montgomery, AL. 36130
Home phone 334-222-4469
office phone 334-242-7668
e-mail: [email protected]
10. Mr. Barnett Lawley
Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
64 N. Union St.
Montgomery, AL. 36104
phone 334-242-3486
e-mail: [email protected]
11. Mr. Danny Cooper
Alabama Association of Realtors
PO Box 4070
Montgomery, AL. 36103-4070
phone 334-262-3808
[email protected]
12. Mr. Guy Spencer
PO Box 45
Huntsville, AL. 35804
[email protected]
13. Mr. Stephen Martin
Alabama Education Association
PO Box 4177
Montgomery, AL. 36103-4177
phone 334-834-9790
e-mail: [email protected]
14. Dr. Geri Moulton
University of South Alabama
307 University Boulevard
Mobile, AL. 36685
phone 251-460-6111
15. Mrs. Vivian Paul
148 S Jackson St.
Grove Hill, AL. 36451
home phone 251-275-3949
office phone 251-275-4131
16. Honorable Bob Riley, Governor
Alabama State Capital
600 Dexter Ave
Montgomery, AL. 36130
17. Mr. Lee Sentell
Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel
PO Box 4927
Montgomery, AL. 36104-4927
18. Mr. Steve Sharp
702 Piedmont Lake Rd.
Pine Mountain GA. 31822
home phone 706-663-8776
cell phone 706-289-4714
19. Dr. Craig Sheldon
AUM, Department of Anthropology
7300 University Drive
Montgomery, AL. 36117-3596
home phone 334-567-8942
office phone 334-244-3765
20. Dr. Robert Jakeman
Auburn University History Department
310 Thach Hall
Auburn, AL. 36849
phone 334-844-6634
e-mail: [email protected]
21. Dr. Dan Bennett
Auburn University, Dean, School of Architecture
202 Dudley Hall
Auburn University, AL. 36849
phone 334-844-4285
e-mail: [email protected]
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