Ravenel SC resident digs wartime artifacts in his backyard

RAVENEL — Mark Anders loves hearing that beep, beep, beeping sound his metal detector makes as he scans his neighborhood for artifacts and uncovers buried treasures long lost from centuries ago.

With 6,000 acres to comb through in the Poplar Grove community, sometimes spending hours in a single plot, Anders pieces together the history of the people who lived on the property since the 1600s, be it the Elliott family, George Washington's potential distant relatives or the smaller characters who made the former rice plantation tick.

Shelves upon shelves line Anders’ home office — his temporary storage until a more permanent neighborhood museum is built. There's iron pick axes dating back to the 1700s, belt buckles, spurs, utensils and a musket pistol barrel. He has uncovered silver jewelry