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   | The Relic Hunter | Vol. 34 - Sep. 2000 |
"... And We Gathered At The River"
By Ed Fedory
 With the first day of spring less than 12 hours away, relic hunters from New York and surrounding states gathered to share finds, stories, a meal... and not a few laughs! |
With the waters of the Hudson River slowly receding with the tide, the air was filled with smoke from the campfire and dreams of future recoveries. It was a time to share the finds of the previous year and make plans for the upcoming season of relic hunting- it was a time to discuss cellar hole strategies and technological advances in the metal detecting industry... a time to hold relics you've only dreamt of finding, and to hear the step-by-step tales of their recovery... it was a good time!
 During the course of the day we watched in amazement as beautifully crafted arrowheads such as these suddenly emerged from large pieces of stone! |
Throughout history, the Hudson River has drawn men to her banks, as easily witnessed by the number of flint chips and complete arrow points we find on a weekly basis with the receding tides. Within a half-mile of the place where we gather, state archaeologists conducted a major dig nearly a half century ago, uncovering the remains of a small Indian village. At least a half-dozen cellar holes have been searched in the surrounding woods, dating from the Colonial to the Civil War eras, and a number of fossilized teeth from long-extinct species of New York State mammals have been found uncovered by wave action.
Given half an imagination, one can almost picture Henry Hudson's Half Moon as she maneuvers before a northbound wind, or ships under British flags as they resupply the troops stationed in Albany during the French & Indian War. The snapping of the sails on American warships during the Revolution is almost audible, and very faintly, we can almost hear the rhythmic chugging of Fulton's first steamship. The Hudson's a place of history, with every mile and on each of her banks. I can think of few more fitting places for relic hunters to gather.
 One of the truly eye-popping relics of the day was a Colonial silver shoe buckle brought by Manny. |
Arriving early, were the point men for the Rites of Spring gathering. Armed with rakes, saws, and tarps, we set about tidying up our club headquarters. Rocks were dragged away, and logs of seasoned hardwood were stacked. The bonfire was ignited close to the river's edge, grills were set up in the cooking area, and for the time being, the potato cannons were leaned against a nearby poplar.
With a March sun nearly directly over head, the first trucks and cars began to arrive, many with out-of-state plates, but all carrying metal detecting enthusiasts and display cases filled with assorted relics. Many of the vehicles brought old friends, but there were a lot of new faces in the ever-growing crowd of relic hunters... all sharing, however, the common interest in history and passion for digging.
 Another show-stopper was this 1801 silver dollar. "Most of us had dug earlier coins," notes Ed, "but few a coin of such beauty!" |
On the tables were displayed enough relics to fill a small museum, and given the short hours of an afternoon on the river, far too many to examine carefully. Chuck Anderson brought an assortment of early coins he had dug, along with his first Spanish cob, and Dave, Jr. brought his first three-pound Revolutionary War era cannonball. Dave and Dan brought an assortment of Colonial artifacts from the farm fields of Connecticut. Roger brought his appetite!
 Just when you thought you had seen everything, someone would go to his car or truck and bring out another display case filled with relics. |
One of the most fascinating relics I have ever seen was brought by Manny, a complete pre-Revolutionary War silver shoe buckle. Besides its intricate and elaborate open-work design, the buckle was hallmarked, numbered, and engraved. Holding the buckle in my hand, I could almost imagine some Dutch patroon walking the cobbled streets of New York City, cane in hand, displaying his wealth and importance in something as simple as a fancy set of shoe buckles!
 The afternoon was not without its entertainment or instruction, as a group of three flint knappers set about fashioning some points beside the campfire. |
Another silver rarity was an 1801 American silver dollar recovered from a creek bank. It was one of the earliest American silver coins I had ever heard of being dug, and the fact that it had been recovered along with several pieces of Spanish silver made the story all the more interesting! Some guys have an amazing amount of luck and good fortune. Most of my creekside finds wind up in my tackle box!
During the course of the afternoon there were a number of times when I felt like a game show contestant on Stump the Relic Hunter, as partial and fragmentary relics were brought out for me to identify. On some, identification was easy, but there were others that made me wish I had brought along a few of the essential identification books from my library. Just the sheer number of buttons alone would have kept my nose in Albert's Record of American Uniform and Historical Buttons for the better part of a weekend!
 After years of searching, Dave Nolan, Jr. was finally able to display his first Revolutionary War cannonball... a three-pounder found along a heavily wooded trail. |
Flintlock gun parts and musketballs... brass buckles and Civil War buttons... belt plates and grapeshot... ramrod pipes and old dog tags... the list and variety of objects recovered from the depths of the soil seemed to be endless as the hours passed and new display cases were brought out for a viewing.
One of the things I have always found to be of great interest is poking around in relic hunters' junk boxes. Checking through the assortment of unidentified and fragmentary pieces usually results in the discovery of a few hidden treasures, and on more than one occasion a relic was quickly snatched from the garbage bin and gently placed under the glass of a display case.
 Musketballs and buttons, buckles and coins, ramrod pipes and spurs- there seemed to be no end to the variety of relics recovered in the Northeast! |
Nor was the afternoon without its period of instruction. Rarely at a loss for words, I wasn't sure how I should reply to the question posed to me by a trio of new faces: "Do you mind if we sit around and knap for a while?" Being mid-afternoon, I thought it a little early to retire, and said as much.
"No, KNAP... as in making arrowheads," came the reply.
Heavy logs were dragged from the woodpile, and we all watched in fascination as large pieces of flint were reduced, with skillful eyes and talented hands, to some of the finest arrowheads, bird points, and knives that I've ever seen. Having picked up a number of similar points along the shores of the river beside us, I began to have a growing appreciation for the skill and the techniques employed by those First Americans who once dwelt on the very ground on which our boots were rooted.
 British "Brown Bess" gun parts were common, but this brass trigger guard with a crudely engraved starburst design was an interesting farm field recovery. |
As I watched a small spearpoint being fashioned of our native Normanskill flint as it had been done hundreds and thousands of years earlier, a sense of the symmetry of history and place washed over me. As I looked around and saw men examining the relics others had found, and heard, in the background, the laughter and tales of recovery, I was privy to the passion history generates...
... and I knew that just being a relic hunter was enough!
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