Digging up history the Winckler way

Jul. 26—Dallas Winckler was about 30 feet south of Bentley Hall on the Allegheny College campus when he heard a familiar sound — the song of buried treasure.

"Whenever you get a high tone or two, you know you might be on something," Winckler said. "Anything that's repeatable and solid, you might have something good."

About 5 inches from a sidewalk and about 5 inches below ground level, there was indeed something good: the high school class ring of a former Allegheny student who graduated from New York's Albany High School in 1980.

With the name engraved inside the ring — Tonya Thomas — and the discovery location on campus, Winckler went to his boss, Tamarack Armory owner Mike Leonard, for help tracking down the owner.

"He found it," Leonard said Friday. "I just did all the computer footwork."

Leonard's online detective work led him to the obituary for Tonya Baldwin, the former Tonya Thomas, who had died in May 2020 due to complications from COVID-19, according to reporting by the Kenosha News. Leonard's efforts eventually led to the ring being returned to Jerry Baldwin, Tonya's husband.

In nearly three years of wielding his metal detector, Winckler has found gold and silver rings; U.S. coins dating back to the early 1800s; Civil War-era bullets, buttons and tokens; even a silver Italian 5-lire coin from 1808 that he found in Saegertown. But his experience with Baldwin's class ring and the search for its owner was a notable first.

Returning it to her family, he said, "is what makes it great."

The allure of buried treasure is what makes the metal detecting hobby a great one for Winckler, who is often accompanied by his brother Drew when he heads out to one of his many "permissions" — the places around the Meadville area, including Allegheny, where he has received consent to search using his Minelab detector.

"When I'm not working at the gun shop or running calls" — the 31-year-old Meadville resident is a lieutenant with West Mead 1 Volunteer Fire Department — "I'm metal detecting," he said. "I try to get out every evening if I can when it's nice and if not, once or twice a week."

Winckler typically offers any finds to the property owner where he makes the discovery. His interest in history keeps him going — as does the desire to stumble upon that next cool bit of buried treasure.

"Everybody that is serious about metal detecting is always dreaming about finding that gold coin," he said, laughing, "and they're out there."

Also on his metal detector bucket list are Revolutionary War-era relics.

"Just gotta keep looking and getting the right permissions," he said. "I'll dig one eventually."

Determination is not likely to be an issue in Winckler's search. When his boss, Leonard, spoke to The Meadville Tribune on Friday, he said it was Winckler's day off.

"So," Leonard said, "he's probably out with his metal detector."

Winckler's high-end detector gives the hobby a futuristic appearance and allows him to use the wand's built-in speakers instead of wearing headphones. Whether he's at the college, near Conneaut Lake Park or in a seemingly empty field, he's confident he'll continue to find interesting bits of the past.

"You never know what's under your feet," he said.

Mike Crowley can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at mcrowley@meadvilletribune.com.