Relic Hunter Evan Woodard Recovers What’s Lost and Forgotten

From unmarked railroad spurs and children’s toys to more common items like oyster shells, glass bottles, and shoes, Evan Woodard never knows what he’s going to find when he goes relic hunting. 

A devoted history enthusiast, Woodard routinely spends hours outside of his job in cybersecurity diving into old records, and when the pandemic hit in March, he found himself with a lot more time to get out and survey areas around Baltimore, Md. “Maps and research has always been something that I’ve loved,” he said. “So when I got into relic hunting, it came naturally. You need to really figure out what it is on your own.” 

Using whatever resources he can find, from Sanborn maps and old atlases to records from the Library of Congress and archives from The Baltimore Sun, Woodard traces the location of old homesteads and