He digs up pieces of Du Quoin's past; Professional metal detectorist Jeff Miller

Jeff Miller, 40, of Du Quoin takes his passion for local and American history to a level that most of us will never know. He criss-crosses Du Quoin's neighborhoods searching for treasures from the city's past.

Some smaller. Some larger. All fascinating and interesting. Everything from vintage hub caps to rare coins and silver items. Over the decades "silver holds up better than copper."

"I always get the homeowner's permission, first," says Miller, whose hobby is relic hunting and lost item recovery.

He logs the places he has hunted with a star on a Google Earth map. He has hunted many of Du Quoin's historic neighborhoods.

He is a "metal detectorist" to be specific and the tool of his trade is a very high quality and very sensitive Minelab metal detector. It will find treasures buried down as far as 10 inches.

The rewards of his passion include finding a Du Quoin man's wedding ring, lost eight years ago, and growing his collection to include turn-of-the century finds engraved with "Du Quoin Township High School," buttons from military uniforms during the Indian wars and even a 1918 Perry County dog tax tag--the oldest known to exist.

Many of his finds were recently displayed at the Du Quoin Public Library. "Everything in the case are my finds from our local area, most of these items I have done research on and can date a lot of my finds. I also love to help find lost items.," he says. "I have been detecting for just over two years."

"Just last month I was asked to be part of a group CWPPO (Civil War Preservation Project of Ohio) and we detected over 500 acres of land known to be the most northern battle of the Civil War. The battle was between Morgan's Raider's and Union troops."

"I am looking for permission to dig fields and yards to find more local history relics or lost items. References can be provided and I am a professional detectorist. I will be respectful of your property taking any and all trash found and not leaving holes in your yard," he said. "Before taking any of his finds home he always shares them with the homeowner to see if they are of any personal or family importance."

He's a very high quality hunter. A Terminix employee by day, you an contact him at millerthebugkiller@gmail.com or call him at 618-924-7369.