War and weapons

Cousins turn historical curiosity into careers

History fascinates everyone. But for two Arkansas cousins from the same family, that fascination struck early on and evolved over the years into careers that are different than either man could ever have imagined. Today, both are speakers, artists, teachers, appraisers and consultants, buying and selling at relic shows and online from their home offices.

STEPHEN BURGESS

Passion for the past blindsided Stephen Burgess of Rogers when he was a young man. A friend took him metal detecting at the site of a Union campsite near Carrollton. He soon unearthed a .69-caliber musket bullet from the sandy soil near Long Creek. That experience, Burgess says, was awe-inspiring.

“I will never forget the feeling I had when I held that bullet in my hand and realized it had been in the ground for 120 years,” he said. “The last time a human hand touched it, Abraham Lincoln was president!”

It was a beginning that took him past other careers to a hobby that lasted for 30 years and grew into a fulltime job.

Burgess buys, trades and sells relics from the Civil War period. Swords, guns, knives, uniform buttons and belt buckles are at a premium, but he does not deal in guns manufactured after 1898. Medical equipment and ale, vinegar, medicine bottles and photos with identification are always in demand. Recently he had an inquiry about an artificial leg, but he had none in stock at the time. He sometimes sells items on consignment for individuals, and he is often asked to appraise primitives that have been discovered in grandma’s attic, where they’ve been tucked away for years.

During the Civil War, the South had far fewer soldiers and far less equipment than the North, so Confederate items often bring a premium price, Burgess said. And the value increases if there is a legible maker’s mark or personal initials. Surprisingly, even battle equipment that has been in the ground for years can be in remarkably good condition. Burgess says the type of soil and amount of moisture over the years makes all the difference. But the process of cleaning a bullet or belt buckle that’s been in the ground for 150 years is very precise and must be done very carefully.

Museums are good customers. Burgess has made sales from coast to coast in the U.S., Canada and several European countries, but he says out-of-country transactions can be tricky because ofthe difference in currency.

He is often asked to speak to civic groups, local historical societies and Peel House groups. He has volunteered for 25 years as a researcher, educator and amateur historian at Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park. In appreciation for his efforts, park officials have recognized him with the Director’s Commendation Award, which honors exemplary service.

His Civil War articles have appeared in Lost Treasure, North South Trader, American Digger and Civil War Times Illustrated. Burgess spends many hours each week working on his website, campsiteartifacts.com, and said he feels very fortunate to be doing work he really enjoys.

Although his online relic business is a full-time job, when time and weather allow, he takes one of his several metal detectors and heads out to an already researched Confederate camp to hopefully uncover more reminders of the War Between the States.

He believes there are many artifacts waiting to be found.

“Arkansas straddled the Mason-Dixon line,” he explained. “Civil War soldiers fighting on both sides of the conflict left a deep mark across the state. Several battles took place in Arkansas, and several campsites were used for long periods of time.

Some of those sites are well documented and preserved, but many have yet to be discovered.”

Metal detecting on public land is illegal, but he said there are many undiscovered sites on private property.

“Most landowners,” he said, “are very cooperative when you use a combination of diplomacy and a friendly face. Most like to think they live where many of their ancestors lived, if only for alittle while.”

There are several pieces of privately owned property in this area that he said are bound to be hot spots for relics because of their proximity to known battlefields and campgrounds. Some of those he can’t get access to, and he admitted that’s very frustrating.

“But there’s always another spot just down the road. Arkansas is a very fertile area for Civil War relic hunting and I’m lucky to have a hobby that provides me with an occasional relic of my own.” BOB THOMAS

The other half of the family historian duo, Bob Thomas of Cabot, caught the bug when he was about 10 years old. But unlike his Northwest Arkansas cousin, who deals in merchandise that came from the factory long ago, Thomas makes his own product through a process called flintknapping, which is a method of making arrowheads and spear points from native stone.

It began when Thomas and his father discovered an Indian arrowhead in the rocky hills near Cabool, Mo., perhaps dropped in the heat of battle with a neighboring tribe. His father explained how the flint could be chipped into sharp points, then attached to a carved stick to make very effective arrows and spears.

“That information stuck in my mind,’ he said, “and I was totally fascinated from that point on.” So the 10-year-old spent many hours trying to reproduce the projectile from stone native to the Ozarks. He said he even tried pouring hot water over the rocks to get them shaped properly.

But it took many years and advice from other knappers before he was able to learn a process called “ pressure, flaking and percussion,” a method of shaping the sharp edge of a stone into a projectile.

Thomas described the process of flintknapping as “like shooting a pane of glass with a BB gun. Understanding that the glass breaks in a cone-shape is the beginning of the theory. Being skillful enough to carefully place one strike after the next along the side of a piece of rock takes many years and endless determination.” He grinned and continued “and a lot of busted stone.”

He learned so well that he soon became a well-known expert in the field of Indian arrowheads and spears, but he was really hooked when he first saw a Mayan spearhead.

“The complexity is unimaginable,” he said. “You don’t want to be around when I’m finishing a Mayan piece and break it!” Mayan flintknapping can be traced back in Europeanhistory at least 100,000 years ago. The Mayans were a civilization around the Yucatan Peninsula, and their spearheads and arrows were of complex design, elaborate and delicate. Unlike the American Indian arrowheads, the Mayan artifacts were mainly used for ceremony and bloodletting. The Mayans also followed the practice of human sacrifice and many points were cast and went into the grave as a method of helping the sacrificial victim along the long path to the Hereafter.

After a stint in the U.S. Army and several years in construction, Thomas had built up a reputation that allowed him to turn his obsession with knapping into a full-time business. Today, he is one of a very few in the U.S. who are able to reproduce Mayan art that is virtually the same as those pieces created in the far distant past. He is well knownfor his Agee points, Dalton Drills and a variety of other projectile points. His Mayan Eccentrics can be found at many Indian artifact shows across the country, and much of his work has been featured at flintknappers.com.

He has taught many flintknapping classes, is a regular at most nationally known knap-ins and is a co-sponsor of the Water Creek Knap-In near Yellville. He is also aninstructor at a flintknapping workshop at Toltec Mounds State Park.

Another impressive part of his business is the fact that Thomas makes his own knapping tools, mostly from deer, elk and moose antlers.

“They work pretty well,” he said, ”because the antlers are hard, yet springy and flexible.”

History does not come cheap. Although some small arrowheads, buttons, combs and other items can be purchased for only a few dollars, a Confederate officer’s button, a gun or sword used in a specific battle or a tray of delicate Mayan Eccentrics can bring thousands of dollars.

For the two Arkansas cousins, it’s an exciting way to make a living. And their efforts will ensure that future generations have unforgettable, solid reminders of how our ancestors lived.

Barbara Burgess is the mother of Stephen Burgess and the aunt of Bob Thomas.

Northwest Profile, Pages 40 on 03/24/2013

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