MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - The battle of Stones River was one of the biggest of the Civil War.The real battlefield stretches well beyond the national park that preserves the historic site.
Collectors are trying to save Civil War relics at a Murfreesboro construction site before they disappear forever.
Over the past two days, Gordon Roberts and his friends are finding a lot of items such as a knife handle and bullets.
"It's really exciting, digging up history and holding it in your hand. You know, the last person to touch it was a Civil War soldier," he said.
Months from now, a shopping center will stand on the site, but more than 100 years ago, it was the Harding family's house.
"Once the battle started, it got caught up in the firestorm of the battle and became a makeshift hospital immediately," said Ronnie Dowdy.
Ronnie and Audrie Dowdy sifted for items that can't be found with a metal detector such as marbles and parts of porcelain dolls.
"This was somebody's home. They lived here and had 10 or 12 children," he said.
The work has to be completed quickly before construction begins.
"The development is just going like wildfire and this gives us an opportunity to save a little bit of this," Dowdy said.
"We're all about saving history," Roberts said.
The recovery project is a joint effort between the Cumberland Plateau and Middle Tennessee Metal Detectors clubs and Middle Tennessee State University.
- Article originally posted HERE at http://www.newschannel5.com/, Oct 3, 2008 8:46 PM
No comments:
Post a Comment