Among all the stories told in Upper Bucks County, Pennsylvania, none looms larger than the tale of the Doan Gang. During the American War of Independence, a band of brothers loyal to the British crown robbed tax collectors and donated the spoils to the Red Coats. But the brothers’ biggest haul, 1,307 pounds sterling ($261,360) stolen from the Bucks County Treasury in 1781, never made it into British hands and was never found, despite the offer of a substantial reward after the brothers were cornered in 1783.
On Wednesday night, we might finally learn what happened to the Doan Gang loot, thanks to a metal detecting hobbyist from Verona. Last October, Bill Neal was invited to scan an area of Upper Bucks County and on Wednesday night, the Discovery Channel’s “Expedition Unknown” show will reveal what–if anything–he found. Neal consented to an interview about the show, but he isn’t letting a reporter detect anything from his involvement.
“Expedition Unknown” is a reality television show now in its 12th season. Host Josh Gates has gone all over the country–and all over the world–to unravel mysteries and legends. His first show, back in 2015, looked into the disappearance of Amelia Earhart. The current season kicked off with a search for the tomb of Alexander the Great. While Gates has a degree in archaeology, his show generally highlights explorations done by others.
History as a hobby
Neal got into metal detecting about 30 years ago, and he says it rapidly overtook his other hobbies, which at the time were fishing and working on cars. He’s found items from the Civil War behind his home on Depot Street, which was a train yard 150 years ago, and from an area in south Jersey that was a hub of Revolutionary War activity. He once found a gold ring on property that had belonged to Richard Stockton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
“People have been dropping stuff for 300 years,” says Neal.
Neal has, over the years, found things on outings for Pennsylvania Historical Recovery Services (PHRS). Property owners call the company to learn what might be beneath the surface of their old land. Most often, Neal says, what he finds stays with the property owners; sometimes it is donated to historical societies and museums, which pass his name along to others hoping to find treasure.
So it was that when “Expedition Unknown” called on the Mercer Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, to say that it wanted to look into the Doan Gang, the museum reached out to PHRS. Neal and some detection buddies went out with a film crew to a location where the Doans were known to have camped on the night before the Bucks County Treasury robbery.
“Two of us found some things,” is all Neal will say of the day.
Getting started in metal detecting
Neal stresses that he is not into metal detecting for the money. “On a typical day, I might dig up 300 things, but only 10 are any good,” he says. Instead, he is motivated by finding history. While he investigates the past in our area, he has also gone on metal detecting tours in the South.
Neal says someone looking to get into metal detecting should count on spending $400 to $500 for entry-level equipment. There are cheaper tools, he says, “but like everything else, you get what you pay for.” And then decide that you’re just going to be in it for the fun.
“Metal detection is 99% boredom,” says Neal, “and 1% ‘oh my god I found something’.”
“Expedition Unknown” will air on the Discovery Channel on Wednesday, July 3, at 9 p.m. The Mercer Museum has an exhibit, “The Doan Gang: Outlaws of the Revolution,” through December 31, 2026.
