This column first appeared in August 2012.
Rhonda, my long-suffering wife honored me recently on the occasion of my 50th birthday with two fantastic gifts. The first was an exact replica of President John F. Kennedy’s “Carolina Rocker” rocking chair purchased from the Kennedy Museum in Massachusetts. The chair was a signature item in JFK’s life, much prized for it’s value in easing the pain of Kennedy’s aching back damaged while saving crew members of his sunken PT-109 boat during World War II. That gift alone was more than I deserved and it certainly gave my two children the giggles as they pointed out that I was getting a rocking chair as a gift on my 50th birthday. (They got me an age-defying case of Quisp cereal. Smart kids.)
The second gift was presented to me while I was seated in my new chair. Good thing too as it may have otherwise buckled my knees. It was an 1860s-era Abraham Lincoln pocket knife. Not just any Lincoln pocket knife, but an Abraham Lincoln Mourning knife with a direct tie-in to the Civil War. The knife itself was enough to make me slap my head, but it was the story attached to it that makes it truly special to me.
Turns out that this knife is a relic rescued from the Ohio soil where it had been resting undisturbed and forgotten for nearly a 150 years. Rhonda found the knife on, where else, eBay and printed off the description to go with the prized relic. I was fascinated with both the item and the story. I just had to talk to the treasure hunter who found it. Turns out the knife was dug from ground surrounding an ancient schoolhouse in the woods of Northwestern Ohio by metal “detectorist” Jerry Goodwin of Richmond, Ohio. The area is located on the Ohio/Pennsylvania border about 120 miles south of Cleveland. Ironically, most Richmond residents consider themselves part of “Steeler Nation” rather than the dawg pound of the Browns. “We’re only about a half hour over the river from Pittsburgh.” said Jerry.
Although I’ve never been there, Richmond, Ohio holds a special place in my heart because the town was “visited” by Brig. General John Hunt Morgan during his famous Civil War raid from Southern Indiana up through Ohio in June and July of 1863. My great-great-grandfather on my mother’s side rode with the 8th Kentucky Cavalry of Morgan’s Raiders and my g-g-grandfather on my father’s side served with the 33rd Indiana Infantry of Coburn’s Brigade, who were chasing Morgan and his men. I jokingly tell my kids that if one had caught the other, I might not be here. Richmond is also the hometown of Abraham Lincoln’s powerful Secretary of War, close friend and fierce legacy protector Edwin M. Stanton.
The story of the finding of the knife is priceless. I will let Jerry tell you the details in his own words. “I consider myself a historian and major Civil War buff but I must admit, this creeped me out a little. After getting permission from the landowner, I was working a site from an old 1800’s one room schoolhouse. The site produced a nice Indian Head (penny) within 10 minutes of my getting there. After a while, I dug this item and, after rubbing the dirt off, I was a little creeped out when I saw that it had the somewhat uncomfortable look of a skull!” Above the image were the words, “Our Lamented.”
Jerry had no idea what it was, but he guessed that it was made of nickel or bronze, but didn’t know much else about it. So he posted a picture of the fragment on the “What Is It?” forum of the “Treasurenet” treasure hunting site he is a member of. He figured he’d get the super sleuth’s minds working on it. Someone on the public forum suggested the image might be Abe Lincoln. Jerry continued, “Another comment suggested (and was right on) that it may have originally said ‘President’ beneath the figure. Imagine the thrill I got when near the end of September I returned to the old schoolhouse site and I dug a signal that brought up another piece of the knife that says simply ‘President’ on it.”
Jerry could tell by looking at the broken edge of the “President” piece that it would fit his previous find perfectly like a jigsaw puzzle. “I knew exactly what it was and couldn’t wait to get it home to match it up with the original piece I’d dug in June.” Jerry continued to search the site. ”I swung over the hole again, got another strong signal and got the other side plate intact that says ‘Our Union Is Preserved’!” It turned out to be the complete back plate of what he later found out was a pocket knife made shortly after Lincoln was assassinated. This additional find completed the puzzle. “It is always a thrill at these old one room schoolhouse sites to dig an old Indian Head penny or piece of kid’s jewelry, but this knife was one of my favorite finds.” Jerry said.
Jerry took the pieces home to clean and reassemble them. “I think Abe is a little more presentable now. I simply used some hobby wood to take up the space that the blade or blades would have occupied. I was able to salvage the entire top pin and the head of the pin below Abe’s left shoulder. The bottom pin is a cut off nail. Turns out this pocketknife was made of all brass except for the blade.
“Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865 just five days after Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House. I’m sure our country was still in a terrible state of mourning when this knife was being produced. I wonder if it was therapeutic for the craftsman who designed it? My research has turned up nothing about this knife.” said Jerry.
Jerry meticulously documented his discovery, cleaning, restoration and reassembly of the knife on the Treasurenet forum. His find turned out to be one of the best ever presented in the magazine and the forum boards fairly lit up with congratulatory messages and praise about his special find.
I asked Jerry if he shares his discoveries with the landowner, “Yes, always. Recently I found an 1843 silver half dollar on a farm. I took it home, cleaned it, put it in a coin sleeve and gave it back to the property owner. His family had lived on the farm for generations and he was thrilled with the discovery. He directed me to another site on the property that had been long ago abandoned where I found an 1833 one cent coin. It’s about the size of a silver dollar, really cool.” said Jerry. So it’s not necessarily the treasure that keeps him going, but the thrill of the hunt.
According to Jerry’s Treasurent forum research, the knife is most likely a boy’s knife pattern; a small jack knife with a single blade. Most likely made by the American Knife Co. (1858 – 1919) of Plymouth Hollow, Connecticut. Similar knives were made for the 1876 Centennial Exposition, 1878 Paris World’s Fair, and 1892 Columbian Exposition in Chicago (of H.H. Holmes & Devil and the White City fame). The knife was most certainly only available for a short time after Mr. Lincoln’s assassination as the “Union Is Preserved” slogan fell out of favor rather quickly after the War’s end.
Naturally, upon hearing the mention of Jerry’s hand-held GPS, my questions wandered quickly to geocaching, a subject covered in depth in past columns. Turns out Jerry and his wife Angie are avid geocachers too. But Jerry points out that the GPS was purchased for metal detecting, not geocaching. Turns out, Angie is not much for metal detecting but tolerates her husband’s hobby, despite the countless hours Jerry spends out searching for buried treasure. “I tried to get her interested in metal detecting, but it didn’t work.” This despite the fact that when Jerry took Angie out for her first treasure hunt, she found a 1967 silver dime. “She’d rather geocache instead. We do that with our kids and often plan trips around it.”
Jerry stressed that if you want to get involved with metal detecting, visit the Treasurenet.com Web site first and always, ALWAYS, get permission from the landowner before you dig. Some states and state parks require permits while others don’t. “It all depends. In Pennsylvania you can’t metal detect in any state park,” he said.
I have friends who metal detect, one of whom purchased a tricked out detector in hopes of searching Civil War battlefields for just one minnie ball bullet, (I actually accompanied him on one such hunt in Virginia and sat on the railroad tracks smoking a cigar as he searched in vain for that treasured Civil War bullet, coming away with ticks and mosquito bites instead). But I have personally avoided diving into the sport because I know my limitations. My OCD tendencies would quickly come out and I would most certainly spend every waking moment looking for buried treasure after I went out on that first hunt.
After all, I could search all my life and never find an item I treasured half as much as I do this knife. So, of course, I asked the question that had to be asked; “If the Lincoln knife was your best find ever, why on earth did you give it up?” To which Jerry replied, “I have lots of stuff I’ve dug up over the years in display cases all over my house. The Lincoln knife was one of my favorites but I thought it was time for someone else to enjoy it.” Believe me folks, the knife will be well loved and cared for by the Hunter family for many years to come.
If you’re interested in reading the entire story as it developed, you can go to www.Treasurenet.com and look at the forum sections for June 14, 2008 and September 28, 2008. Jerry has posted several other pictures of the Lincoln knife in “as found” condition, during his careful restoration into it’s final stage. It’s a fascinating story.
Al Hunter is the author of the “Haunted Indianapolis” and co-author of the “Haunted Irvington” and “Indiana National Road” book series. His newest books are “Bumps in the Night. Stories from the Weekly View,” “Irvington Haunts. The Tour Guide,” and “The Mystery of the H.H. Holmes Collection.” Contact Al directly at Huntvault@aol.com or become a friend on Facebook.
