Ted Izzo, the current President, founded the Putnam/Westchester Metal Detectorists & Archeological Society in 1996. Ted reached out via the local Pennysaver for anyone who was interested in metal detecting the local area. Soon Ted started receiving calls from numerous individuals, one of whom was Frank Starnella. Together, they formed the club. 

The membership grew quickly and suitable meeting quarters were found at the Mahopac Library in Mahopac, New York. By 1997 the membership had grown to more than 50 and the club had outgrown the Library. A new venue was found in Yorktown Heights were the club met at Sparkle Lake. The membership continued to grow and soon reached the century mark. In order to sustain a national presence the P/WMD&AS affiliated with the Federation of Metal Detector &Archeological Clubs, Inc. A portion of the annual dues goes to the FMDAC.

Again requiring more meeting space the club moved to its current location at the Guideposts, 39 Seminary Hill Road Carmel, NY 10512. Meetings begin promptly at 7:30pm; all are welcome to attend.,. The current P/WMD&AS membership is stable at about 50. Ted Izzo has served for the entire history of the club as its president. Current officers include: Don Mayers Vice President, Conrad Rasinski Secretary and FMDAC representative, Larry Cohen Treasurer, Carol Mayers Librarian, and Paul Maloney Webmaster. The web site may be accessed by inserting www.greattreasure.com in your web browser. Dave Nolan Jr., one of our members, helped design our official club logo for our patches and membership/business cards. Todd and Merilee Olson are Editors of the Hudson Valley Explorer, the club’s newsletter. Todd also conducts the Finds of the Month Competition. 

Our members come from all walks of life and range in all ages. Several women are among our most enthusiastic contributors. We have some very serious and experienced relic, beach and water hunters with state of the art equipment. Many members have made interesting and valuable finds. Several have won Best Finds of the Year competitions and have published articles in national treasure magazines. Often guest speakers address our meeting and members are encouraged to present their specialties or relate stories of exceptional finds. One of the prime goals of the club is to access search sites through the leverage that a large group with financial resources can do. This is accomplished by the individual research and cooperation of all members. Search outings are conducted in April, May and June and again in September and October. November is the time of the annual Fall Classic Seeded Hunt and in December the club hosts a Christmas Party and raffle at the Latern Pub in Mahopac, NY.

The club stands ready to assist local Law Enforcement agencies and Historical Societies and will search for lost articles free of charge.