Manassas Store Home to Civil War Treasures

The history of the Civil War lives on right here in Manassas at Bob Buttafuso's Old Town store.

Buttafuso is owner of Centreville Electronics and  is around  history all the time in his Main St. store, located diagonally across the street from the Manassas Museum.

Once inside, visitors encounter relics from the Civil War; bullets and buckles, among other valuables relics, are available to purchase. They can also flip through a 91-page book, “Civil War Relic Hunting A to Z" that Buttafuso wrote as a guide to relic hunting.

The Civil War is a topic that fascinates Buttafuso, a relic hunter for over 30 years. But that was not always the case.

“I hated history in high school,” Buttafuso said. “I didn't like the way it was taught. Memorizing dates was boring.”

Now, his outlook is completely different.

“I wish it was taught like it is today. Video, the History Channel, it all makes it more fun to learn and makes it more interesting.”

It is not just the relics themselves that interest Buttafuso.

“Everything about it,” Buttafuso said. “The life of a soldier is the most interesting part. How they lived, camped, thought, and what they had to go through.”

“I wish these relics could talk, they would tell some unbelievable stories.”

Buttafuso originally opened the store, which also repairs computers and metal detectors, in Centreville in 1981. He relocated the store off of Wellington Road in 2003. He found the current location in Old Town Manassas in August, 2010. He said he picked the current spot because of its proximity to the Manassas Museum.

Buttafuso explained how he figures out where to go to find the relics and how they are appraised for value.

“I do a lot of research, try to find the camps and ask for permission,” Buttafuso said. “They're valued by their rarity.”

Buttafuso has gone beyond Virginia to hunt for relics. He said the furthest he has traveled is to North Carolina, where he found bullets, a relic he says is the most common type found.

There is one relic in particular he said is the most valuable.

“I came across a Virginia sword belt plate in Doswell, Va.,” Buttafuso said. “Anything Confederate is rare because they didn't have as much.”

There is also one other type of relic he said wants to find: a dog tag, because they are a “personal” artifact.

Manassas is comemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War this summer, which is re-igniting interest in both the war  and the history that happened right here with the First (and second) Battles of Manassas. 

Buttafuso said he has little to no concern about interest fading away aytime soon.

“There's too much interest,” he said. “The 150th celebration is bringing in interest and adding to it.”

Visit cwrelics.com to look at Centreville Electronics' relic collection.