Relic hunters seek local treasure

Those looking to obtain a piece of Civil War history will want to visit Rapidan River Relic Hunters Association's relic show next weekend.
The Rapidan River Relic Hunters Association (RRRHA) was formed this summer by relic hunter and Orange County resident Robert Painter.
"I am a past president and long-time member of the Fredericksburg Relic Hunters Association and was tired of driving to Fredericksburg to those meetings," Painter said. "I have always wished for a relic or metal detecting club to be formed closer to home in the Orange County area."
In May, Painter sent out an email flyer to every relic hunter he could get an email address for, inviting them to a meeting in June at the Ruritan Building in Unionville. He said 32 people showed up.
"That night, we formed the organization and elected officers," he said. "We now have 46 members primarily from Orange, Culpeper and the surrounding counties. A couple of members live further out at Appomattox, Arlington, Richmond and even one from Georgia and another from Ohio."
Painter said the purpose of the club is to promote the study and the preservation of American history through the location, identification and preservation of military and related historical artifacts from the Civil War and earlier periods. He said the organization does not encourage or support the procurement of artifacts from public or private property without permission.
"For the most part, the locating of historical artifacts is through the use of metal detectors," he said.
The club meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Ruritan Building in Unionville. Painter said all but the December meeting is open for new members to visit and consider joining. Meetings are held in three segments: business, a topical presentation and a show-and-tell session where members view each others finds for the month. A prize is awarded each month to the member who has found the "Find of the Month" as determined via voting. Painter said recent presentation topics have included Civil War bridges and pontoons, a South Carolina relic hunt, Civil War relics from the retreat route and a Civil War trivia contest. Annual dues for the club are $25.
In addition to meeting monthly, the RRRHA will host its first mini-relic show, "Christmas in Orange County," Dec. 17, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Ruritan Building in Unionville.
"[It's] designed to be both a display of locally excavated Civil War relics as well as provide to the public the opportunity to buy or sell authentic Civil War relics," Painter said. "The show is on a small local scale with 10-20 sellers or displays involved."
The entrance fee for the show is $3 per person ages 17 and older. Children ages 16 and under are free. Any person bringing a can or box of food as a donation to the food pantry will get an authentic Civil War bullet found in Orange or Culpeper. There will also be a specially designed calendar available for $4 featuring Civil War relics that have all been excavated locally.
For more information on RRRHA or the relic show, email rrrha@live.com.