As Inventory Coordinator at SD1, Chris Rabe just knows how to find things. Many know him as the go-to guy for just about any supply a staff member may need.
Chris started at SD1 in 1999 as part of a camera crew. After about a year, he was approached about creating an inventory program for the District. He had experience with keeping track of and ordering goods from his life before SD1, where he worked in retail drug stores. So inventory was a natural fit.
He’s been in that role for the last 23 years. While Chris is passionate about his work, he has several passions outside of SD1 as well, one of which is his farm in Williamstown, which he has named “God’s Acres.”
Chris and his wife, Cindy, purchased the land about five years ago and built their dream home, which they recently moved into as full-time residents.
Not long after moving in, on a Sunday afternoon in March of this year, they were working on clearing a raised berm area at the front of the property near the road. Chris was trying to remove parts of an old fence when Cindy saw what looked to be a leather strap sticking out of the ground.
She pointed it out to Chris and said, “You may have found a dead body!” As it turned out, their finding was not as dramatic as a corpse, but it was still an interesting discovery.
Chris and Cindy grabbed a shovel and began to carefully dig around the mysterious object. What they discovered was an intact leather pouch – the type typically used for carrying supplies such as the powder and patches used with a muzzleloader rifle.
As they continued to now hand excavate, they found a Thompson/Center 50-caliber black powder muzzleloader; as they dug further, they discovered a Russian SKS military rifle.
“I just could not believe what we found right there in our own front yard,” Chris says.
The guns and pouch were buried about 8-10 inches below the surface, and Chris says he has no idea how long ago they were there. He figures they were there at least 20 years. The firearms were caked with dirt and a makeshift home for worms and other insects.
Since unearthing the weapons, Chris cleaned them up with a daily ritual of soaking them in white vinegar until an image in the exact shape of the rifles eventually floated to the top of the liquid through the oxidation process.
Chris did some research and discovered the Thompson/Center rifle was first manufactured in 1970. The weapon was largely responsible for the resurgence of black powder hunting that occurred in the 70s and continues today. In fact, there is still a version of the rifle being manufactured today.
The SKS rifle has a longer history. It was first produced for the Russian military between 1945 and 1958. The uniquely Russian characteristic is a permanently attached folding bayonet. The rifle also has a hinged, fixed 10-round magazine, making it a semiautomatic weapon.
It was relatively short-lived, as it was rendered obsolete in the Soviet armed forces by the introduction of the AK-47 in the 1950s.
How the guns ended up on Chris’s property remains a mystery. He has asked around to see if there are any unsolved local whodunnits or folklore that might provide some clues, but so far, he has had no luck.
For now, all he can do is speculate as to why they were buried. Some of his theories include – they were stolen and then hidden with no one ever returning or remembering where they were; someone may have been hunting outside of muzzleloader hunting season and perhaps dumped them to stay out of trouble with the game warden; or maybe they were left behind due to some type of emergency.
“We just don’t know what the real story is,” Chris says.
Since finding the items, Chris has cleared the area with a bobcat and found the black powder can and powder measurer that belong with the muzzleloader.
Chris points out a funny irony – he has owned and used a metal detector for years but never found a thing with it. That said, he continues to look for new discoveries.
He plans to mount the rifles and associated items and display them in his barn, where he often spends time with friends and family.
“I love living in the country,” he says. “We always have something going on. Whether it is hayrides, bonfires or fishing contests, we stay busy.”
The Rabes have two sons and five grandchildren, who spend lots of time with Chris and Cincy on the farm. Next month – on July 4 – they’ll celebrate their 38th anniversary. The couple decided to get married on Independence Day so they’d always have the day off to celebrate.
Cindy retired in February and has been urging Chris to do the same, as he has promised to join her in retirement in August 2024. He’s already begun working with Chris Peters on transitioning his duties and institutional knowledge to assure a seamless transition.
In retirement, Chris plans to spend more time on the farm and continue his engraving business. So if you are a fan of his Christmas ornaments or belts, don’t worry – you will still be able to get them.
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