Sad News for History Buffs

Damon W. Root | May 2, 2008

The Associated Press reports the sad, strange news that Civil War aficionado and relic collector Sam White was killed back in February when a cannonball he was restoring exploded in his hands. From the story:

After growing up in Petersburg [VA],White went to college, served on his local police force, then worked for 25 years as a deliveryman for UPS. He retired in 1998 and devoted most of his time to relic hunting.

He was an avid reader, a Civil War raconteur and an amateur historian who watched History Channel programs over and over, to the mild annoyance of his wife.

In 2004 I looked at how the Sam Whites of the world helped turn Gettysburg into one of America's biggest attractions. RIP, Sam.