Relic Hunter Connects His History with His Finds
By Joyce Fohl
Executive Assistant
AAA Central Penn

Tom Fultz of the Call Center in our Estelle Drive office "digs" relics. It all started when he was a child, listening to tales from his grandfather telling of his grandfather’s exploits in the 149th Pennsylvania Bucktails during the Civil War. His grandma’s grandfather served in the 147th Pennsylvania known as Geary’s White Stars.

Tom read their diaries about battles in far away places such as Chancellorsville and Antietam, but was particularly fascinated with the details of their participation in the Battle of Gettysburg.

He grew up walking the fields of Gettysburg while his grandfathers pointed out places of interest and regaled him with stories of past events, many involving his ancestors. Tom was introduced to metal detecting by wearing a backpack with batteries and using a World War II surplus metal/mine detector. He still has some of his first "finds."

Tom has dug skirmish sites and Civil War campsites in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Mississippi, Louisiana, the Carolinas and West Virginia. His favorite spot is Gettysburg because it has so much personal meaning to him. Tom has found a myriad of Civil War relics over the past 20 years including ground burst shells, ammunition, buttons, belt buckles, nails from shoes and skeletons of fallen soldiers. The largest item he has unearthed is a 200-pound cannonball found in Mississippi. Tom has a great respect for the items he finds and painstakingly restores them to as close to their original appearance as possible. Tom never does any relic hunting in any national park including, of course, Gettysburg. It is against Federal law to do so.

Tom’s wife Paula has lots of Civil War history in her family, too. Her great-great-grandfather was Joshua Giddings, an Abolitionist congressman from Ohio and the author of "The Exiles of Florida", an account of the flight of slaves to Florida and the outcome of their flight. Tom mentioned that Congressman Giddings was the only congressman of the era not invited to the home of President James Buchanan, who was sympathetic to southern interests.

Tom has been with AAA Central Penn for three years and began his career with the organization in the Emergency Road Service Department and then transferred to the Member Service Call Center in Lancaster. His hobby is raising and showing Boxer dogs, an interest he shares with his wife, who shows Vizslas.

If you have a need for information on traveling with pets, Tom will be happy to help. We are happy to have him as part of our team in the Member Call Service Center. If you are interested in "digging" relics as Tom is, be sure to check out his ebay page under 149thbucktails.