Historic Finds and Lasting Connections
Tom Gregory, LUTCF, RHU® – Benefit Risk Advisor
Tom Gregory, LUTCF, RHU®, Benefits Risk Advisor for Hummel, has an interesting hobby and a YouTube channel he uses to share his findings with others.
The discovery of arrowheads in local farms and fields offers a window into the past. For observers, the primitive sharpened stones bring back memories of hunts they took with their fathers and other family members. And for searchers, arrowheads help us all feel connected to a long- ago time, to hunters and gatherers who once lived on the same land as us.
For Tom Gregory, LUTCF, RHU ®, Benefit Risk Advisor for Hummel, his beloved hobby is also helping him make connections to present-day people, including landowners and fans of his YouTube channel, Commissioner Tom. He’s heard from many people who have told him about their own arrowhead-finding memories and shared their admiration that he’s keeping up with the tradition. Tom’s wife, Jenny, tells him he shouldn’t let the recognition go to his head, but Tom is simply enjoying all the experiences that these hunts have to offer. He shared with us how he got started and how others can take up the hobby too
Getting Their Lives Back
Tom’s own father is the reason he first got into arrowhead hunting, although he admits he wasn’t impressed at first. He was about nine years old when his father took him and his brother on a hunt, and he mostly remembers complaining that the experience left him hot, tired, and thirsty. It wasn’t until he was about 15 and living in a rural area that the arrowhead “bug” caught him; he and his cousin got inspired by a neighbor who showed them his arrowhead collection. Since then, Tom has uncovered a wide range of tools and artifacts, including Paleo-Indian arrowheads that date back to between 10000 and 14000 BC. Artifacts from this group, who are known to be nomadic, are usually not concentrated in one area, Tom says. More common in Wayne County are artifacts from the Adena and Hopewell cultures that stem from the 500 BC to 100 AD time frame. Only arrowheads that have an intact point can have their origins traced back, but finding such tools is rare.
Every Hunt Is Productive
Even if nothing new is found during an arrowhead hunt, Tom considers it a successful experience. It’s time spent outdoors, enjoying the peacefulness that only nature can offer. “Success for me is not how many arrowheads I find,” he says. “I just love being out there.” It’s also great exercise; he’s amassed as many as 20,000 steps on an excursion.
Tom started his YouTube channel over a decade ago after watching videos of arrowhead aficionados on their hunts. He quickly earned a following and now has more than 4,000 subscribers who enjoy his succinct videos showing his finds around Ohio. Despite suggestions that he should branch out to other topics, he’s discovered that his followers like watching his videos for one particular reason: “They want to see me go out in a field, walk the field, find an arrowhead, and talk about it,” he says. “I pretty much stay in my lane. They’re not interested in my garden or my pets.” He’s also stayed away from monetizing his channel, saying he makes the videos simply for “the sheer enjoyment of sharing what I do.”
Present-Day Connections
Tom has received warm feedback through his YouTube channel and in person. Strangers have come up to him at artifact trade shows calling him Commissioner Tom. A seven-year-old drew a picture of herself and Tom hunting for arrowheads together. And he’s turned some virtual acquaintances and landowners into friends.
He’s even committed some of his finds to these acquaintances. With permission, he once undertook an archaeological dig on a property that uncovered, close to 200 arrowheads over the course of three years and many hours of sifting and shoveling. Afterward, he met with the property’s family in a Hummel training room to give them a presentation. “I showed them all the stuff we found and talked about the history. Then, I announced that my intention is that it will all go back to their family.”
Tom’s children have not taken up the hobby, but he’s always willing to share tips with others on how they can find arrowheads:
Focus on Water:
Arrowhead finds are more likely to occur near a water source, such as a spring or major waterway, and after a major rainfall.
Look High:
Higher-elevation areas tend to have been tilled by farmers over the past century, and erosion has opened up opportunities for exposed arrowheads. These are also the likeliest spots where the arrowhead makers set up camp. (A caveat with this tip, Tom says, is his wife often finds arrowheads at lower elevations.)
Be Patient:
The work can be physically difficult and is not always fruitful.
Have Good Timing:
Tom suggests going between the start of spring planting and when corn stalks reach about knee high. He also says to wait until right after a hard rain washes away some of the Earth’s surface to potentially reveal a tiny treasure.
Always Seek Permission:
Arrowhead hunting is not allowed on federally owned land; for privately owned land, you’ll want to ask the owners whether you can use their land and whether you can keep any findings.
As you hunt, look for pieces of flint, which are flat and shiny on one side and chipped on the other. Their presence implies that you are close to historic activity. “If you walk for 45 minutes and don’t pick up a single piece of flint, it doesn’t mean you can’t find an arrowhead, but you’re probably not in an area where you’re going to find much,” Tom advises. Happy hunting!
Visit Tom’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/commissionertom
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