We are currently working through a huge stack of old newsletters and meeting minutes to try and recreate a full club history. If you or a family member have ever been a member of HRRS and you would like to contribute to the Club History Project please contact Barry Merrill bmerrill@hrrsmetaldetecting.com
Club History Project
Our Clubs History
There have been three meeting locations since HRRS was first chartered. The War Memorial Museum in Newport News, the old Hampton Community Center in Hampton on Lincoln Street and until March 2020 we met at the Hampton Public Library on Victoria Blvd which was our last meeting at this location due to the COVID 19 outbreak. On August 2nd of 2021 we began meeting again at Wesley United Methodist Church located at 2510 N Armistead Ave, Hampton, VA 23666.
It took a total of 30 Members in our club in order to be chartered by the Federation of Metal Detector and Archaeological Clubs also known as FMDAC. We were charted in 1986 and have been going strong ever since. We have our own Constitution and By-Laws. Click here for a copy. Our Club had its First Official Club Hunt in the Fall of 1986 and in 2008 we held our 22 Annual Club Hunt open to the public at Yorktown Beach in Yorktown. Visit our Events section for a full story on some of our recent events.
There have been a few Club Presidents along the way. Each has contributed their own unique style and input into helping the club grow. Below is just a brief timeline of our past presidents.
Dale Blessing – Founder and 1st President, 1986- 1992
Jim Holland – 1993 and 1994
Julie Holland - 1995
Clarence Burum - 1996 and 1997 *
Bruce Dunlap – * 2002 - 2006
Barry Merrill – 2007 - 2023Our Club has been involved in many community activities from Canned Food Drives to assisting the Corps of Engineers with metal detection efforts on Buckroe Beach Clean up projects. We were also the first local club involved in testing Hampton's new Metal Detecting training program for recognition of UXO items and its Metal Detecting Hunting Authorization Program for Buckroe Beach.
In addition to Buckroe Beach we have actively worked with local government to open metal detecting to everyone in the community at Yorktown Beach and Gloucester Point Beach. Many phone calls and council meetings occurred to secure these additional sites to share our hobby with the community.
Many of our members have been able to reunite lost items with there original owners and in some cases to family members. Class Rings, Gold Rings, etc have been returned to their owners and featured in several articles of the Daily Press our Local Newspaper. Visit our Feature Finds sections for just some of those stories.
Our Club continues to grow with the help of our members and our website which first came online in 2006. It started out as a means to advertise our club and its events and has become a central point for our members to check the clubs event calendar and review finds from past meetings as well as relive some of our exciting club events.
Again, if you or a family member have ever been a member of HRRS and you would like to contribute to the Club History Project please contact Barry Merrill bmerrill@hrrsmetaldetecting.com.
HAMPTON ROADS RECOVERY SOCIETY is a member of the
Federation of Metal Detector and Archaeological Clubs (FMDAC).If you are interesting in joining The Hampton Roads Recovery Society
Please join us at one of our meetings or fill out an application.
