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5 Shocking Artifacts Pulled From The Baltimore Inner Harbor By Magnet Fishers (And The Historian Behind The Finds)

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The murky depths of the Baltimore Inner Harbor are not just home to trash and sediment; they are a submerged time capsule of American history. As of late December 2025, a burgeoning movement of "magnet fishers" has transformed a simple hobby into a mission of archaeological recovery and environmental cleanup, pulling thousands of pounds of metal—from modern scooters to priceless 19th-century relics—from the city’s historic waterways. This practice, led by a local historian, is not only shining a light on Baltimore's hidden past but is also fueling a fascinating debate with the traditional archaeological community.

The movement’s most prominent figure, Evan Woodard, has turned his passion for unearthing Baltimore’s history into a full-time endeavor, establishing a dedicated organization and museum to showcase these unique finds. His work, combining a high-powered neodymium magnet with a historian’s eye, offers a rare, ground-level look at the artifacts lost and discarded over centuries in one of the East Coast’s most vital ports.

The Historian: Evan Woodard and the Salvage Arc Foundation

Evan Woodard is the driving force behind the renewed interest in Baltimore’s submerged history. His background as a local historian and explorer has given the magnet fishing movement an archaeological and educational focus that sets it apart from casual hobbyists.

  • Name: Evan Woodard
  • Role: Historian, Explorer, Collector of Antique Baltimore Artifacts
  • Organizations Founded: Baltimore's Magnet Fishing Club, Salvage Arc Foundation
  • Mission: To uncover lost artifacts and share Baltimore's hidden histories while cleaning up local waterways.
  • Notable Projects: Organizing weekly magnet fishing meetups in the Inner Harbor and Fells Point, and establishing the Salvage Arc Museum.
  • Current Focus: The Salvage Arc Foundation launched in 2024 with the goal of creating a permanent museum and community center in the historic heart of Fells Point to display the recovered artifacts.

Woodard and his team, often comprised of artists, teachers, and scientists, use powerful magnets attached to ropes to plumb the bottom of the Inner Harbor, transforming the act of cleaning up trash into a "gonzo archaeology" expedition.

The Most Shocking and Historic Baltimore Magnet Fishing Artifacts

While the vast majority of what is recovered by the Baltimore Magnet Fishing Club is modern trash—scooters, rebar, bottle caps, and general metal scraps—the occasional historic "treasure" is what captures the public's imagination and offers genuine historical insight. The sheer volume of metal removed is staggering, but the following artifacts stand out as the most remarkable finds pulled from the Inner Harbor waters.

1. Recovered Firearms and Law Enforcement Protocol

Perhaps the most shocking and potentially dangerous finds are firearms. Magnet fishers in the Baltimore Harbor have successfully pulled guns from the water. In these cases, protocol dictates that any weapon must immediately be turned over to the Baltimore Police Department for investigation. These finds often carry a hidden, untold story, potentially linked to criminal activity or simply a historic loss, and underscore the unpredictable nature of the hobby.

2. The Late Victorian Bench

Among the most aesthetically and historically significant finds is a late Victorian bench. Pulling such a large, intact piece of furniture from the harbor provides a tangible link to the city's past, likely dating back to the late 19th or early 20th century. Artifacts of this size and detail require careful preservation and are highly valued for display in Woodard's Salvage Arc Museum.

3. 19th-Century Shipping Hooks

Reflecting Baltimore's long, vital history as a major maritime port, the discovery of old shipping hooks is a frequent and important type of find. Woodard has recovered shipping hooks dating back to the 1800s and early 1900s. These simple tools were essential to the loading and unloading of ships—from freighters to tobacco vessels—that frequented the Inner Harbor, providing a direct connection to the city's economic engine during its industrial boom.

4. Thousands of Pounds of Scooters and Modern Trash

While not "artifacts" in the historical sense, the sheer volume of modern metal trash recovered is a testament to the environmental impact of the magnet fishing community. The Baltimore Magnet Fishing Club regularly hauls out enormous piles of metal, including dozens of electric scooters, lawn chairs, and various unidentifiable metal scraps. This cleanup aspect is a core part of the club’s mission, helping to remove pollutants and debris from the Patapsco River watershed and the Chesapeake Bay.

5. Massive Industrial Debris: The 20-Foot Electrical Pipe

The power of the neodymium magnets is demonstrated by the recovery of massive industrial items. One notable find was a 20-foot electrical pipe. These huge hunks of metal are not easily retrieved and require significant effort from the group, highlighting the challenge and physical commitment involved in cleaning up the harbor's bottom. These finds are often donated for proper disposal and recycling, contributing to waterway cleanup efforts.

The Archaeological Controversy: Hobbyist vs. Academic

The rise of magnet fishing in Baltimore is not without controversy, particularly within the formal academic community. While the public and environmental groups often laud the efforts of Woodard’s team for their environmental cleanup and historical outreach, professional archaeologists have expressed concern.

The Maryland Advisory Committee on Archaeology has publicly stated that magnet fishing poses a "new threat to metal artifacts." The primary concern is that untrained enthusiasts, while well-meaning, may damage fragile artifacts, remove them from their original context, or fail to properly document the location of a find. In traditional archaeology, the context—the exact location and layer of sediment where an object is found—is often more valuable than the object itself, as it helps historians piece together a complete narrative.

Evan Woodard, however, views his work as a form of "community archaeology," bridging the gap between historical preservation and public engagement. By donating some of the most remarkable finds to institutions like the Baltimore Museum of Industry and establishing the Salvage Arc Museum, he aims to ensure the artifacts are preserved and displayed for educational purposes, focusing on the history of the working class and the port.

The Future of Magnet Fishing in Baltimore

As of late 2025, the Baltimore magnet fishing community remains vibrant. The weekly meetups continue to draw crowds to locations like Fells Point Pier and the Inner Harbor, driven by the dual motivation of environmental stewardship and the thrilling possibility of a historic discovery.

The Salvage Arc Museum, a key project for Woodard, is set to become the central hub for these recovered relics, offering a permanent space for the public to engage with the city's submerged past. This initiative ensures that the artifacts—the shipping hooks, the Victorian relics, and even the discarded scooters—are used to tell the rich, complex story of Baltimore, one powerful magnet pull at a time. The ongoing effort highlights the importance of preserving local history, even when it’s buried beneath a century of silt and water in one of America's most historic ports.

5 Shocking Artifacts Pulled from the Baltimore Inner Harbor by Magnet Fishers (And the Historian Behind the Finds)
baltimore magnet fishing artifacts
baltimore magnet fishing artifacts

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