A Civil War Show is Born

By Butch Holcombe · Originally published October 2018 · p. 29

Award winners L-R: Best of Show, Bill Blackman; Most Educational, Charlie Harris; Best Non Dug Artifact, Wallace Markert; Best Dug, Rafael Eledge.

“Wow!” “Outstanding!” “You’ve hit a home run with this one!” “I love the show hall!” “I love this show!” All the above were actual comments from exhibitors and visitors who attended American Digger’s Inaugural Chattanooga Civil War & Artifact Show held July 28 & 29, 2018, in East Ridge, Tenn. All first-year shows are always met with critical anticipation, and often it takes a few years for an event to grow to become a major show. The inaugural Chattanooga Civil War & Artifact Show had none of these problems, with over 230 display and dealer tables and a larger-than-expected gate crowd. In order to bring in more of the public, American Digger® heavily promoted the event through multimedia outlets, including a live radio (WOGT-FM) remote broadcast on Saturday, in addition to numerous live feeds and podcasts. Dealers reported good sales, an indicator that the economy is healthy in the world of artifact collecting. Far from a Civil War only event, artifacts from ancient times up to WWII were represented by dealers and exhibitors. The facility, Camp Jordan Arena in East Ridge (a suburb of Chattanooga), was well-received by those in attendance, who praised its cleanliness as well as the spacious layout and ample parking. There was even a fishing pond out back, which entertained at least one dealer’s kids during the show. The hall also holds plenty of room for expansion, and all involved expect the number of exhibitor tables to grow each year. The town of East Ridge was also very supportive, with Mayor Brent Lambert cutting the ribbon to launch the event. Awards were given for Best of Show (Bill Blackman, Confederate Accoutrement Plates), Most Educational (Charlie Harris, Lookout Mtn., Cave Muskets), Best Non-Dug Artifact (Wallace Markert, mint condition Colt Revolving Rifle), and Best Dug Artifact (Rafael Eledge, Arkansas State Seal Belt Plate). By all accounts the show was a great success and is already being planned for next year on July 27-28. For information on next year’s event, contact American Digger at 770-362-8671 or email anita@ amewricandigger.com.

View of hall with Federation of Metal Detecting and Archeology Clubs table in foreground, along with American Digger tables.

Tom Hays had a variety of both dug and non dug Civil War weapons and artifacts.

Bill Blackman’s award winning Confederate buckle collection.

Phil Johnson was stationed aboard the Saratoga, a survivor of 10 kamikaze attacks at Iwo Jima.

Glassware and pottery were also for sale at the show.

This array of pistols was typical of the items for sale.