Well, here is something that's a breath of fresh air! The Atlanta History Center (AHC), a private museum dedicated to preserving and telling the story of Atlanta and the state of Georgia, has a nice display in their main entrance area entitled "War In Our Backyard". This exhibit is not to just say that many people in the area have traces of the war where they live. It goes so far as to show that the war was and is being uncovered by relic hunters. The exhibit shows the detectors of Beverly Dubose, Sydney Kirksis and Tom Dickey along with some nice relics from their collections. It shows the metal detectorist in good light. I'm not sure you'll see that replicated down at your local park visitor center.
On a related note, if you haven't been to this museum you'll be blown away by the relics on display. The above mentioned historians and collectors were the pioneers and had a passion unmatched by many when it came to collecting. All three collections were donated to the AHC and they have some incredible displays. If in the area I really recommend finding the time to go visit.
