Finds From Next Door

SilverEagles92

There's a small abandoned wooden shack right behind my house. Never been in before, so I decided to go have a look. It is pretty dirty, kind of rickety, but full of treasures! All kinds of documents from Dictionaries to advertisements. I had no idea what was in it, and boy was I surprised! I saw a ripped up copy of The Washington Post from the mid-late 1800's. I decided to keep some of the stuff and scans are posted below. There's a Sugar advertisement, an 1899 Calendar, I found an envelope of about 6 or 8 report cards from the local high school, dating 1897-1900. Also found a personal letter Postmarked November 30th, 1894. In addition is a bank book from the same time period (no money, trust me, I checked.) A memorandum, which looks like a sales log. Maybe the people that lived here owned a shop in town? There is one name that appears on many things, Ruth Waldo. I'll have to look her up and see if I can find anything. I found a dictionary as I said, plus a few more ads and things. Also a jar of feathers! I should probably take my metal detector over there and have a look around. There's an abandoned house behind the shack, probably been around since the early 1800's. Think this find could make it into the WildCard category?

dtkk49a

As long as you have permission, detect every inch of the property and I'm sure you'll find something. Then don't forget to post pictures of everything here.

GoldenEyeNumismatics

well, I think it is time for a YOU SUCK!

Boy, all that stuff is ridiculously cool

phut

Sweet!!
Any balance in the bank book?

HKnJ

That is so cool!

SilverEagles92

<< <i>Sweet!!
Any balance in the bank book? >>



There's a few pages that look like they were eaten by mice, but some writing is still legible. $15.73, $17.64, highest is $103. It's cool!

Thanks for the YOU SUCK

Sparkle

How about a picture of the shack?!?

This would make an awesome exhibit for the spring ANA show, or a small book, especially if you were able to dig up some numismatic material on the property.

How 'bout it?

Rodius

Very cool stuff, abondoned shack and house. You don't see many of those around anymore. There are a few in my home town area just never get out to explore.

SilverEagles92

What's involved in exhibition?

DesertRat

Who owns the property where the shack and house sit?

SilverEagles92

I'm 95% sure the property is owned by a Church right around the corner. I've yet to ask permission to search, but I will. MD'ing would be fun over there.

lordmarcovan

crispy

I love finding that kind of stuff. Years ago I was ripping old insulation out of my attic dormers and it turns out that they used pressed newspaper sandwiched between tar paper. Anyway the first paper I pulled out had "The search for Amelia Earhart continues..." on the front page. History likes that smacks you right in the nose.

Hope you are granted permission and find some goodies.

Sparkle

To exhibit at the Charlotte ANA, start here:

http://www.money.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=National_Money_Show&Template=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&ContentID=5002

Maybe there are MD exhibit opportunities at MD clubs as well.

You'd set up one or more rectangular glass-topped cases and arrange your stuff inside. You need some numismatic material assuming you find some, or could add coinage/currency of the era (or earlier) from another source, or merchant tokens, though it would be much cooler to only use site-specific finds. You could add maps, or photos of the shack and diagrams of the property and where certain things were found. Pieces of wood, whatever helps tell the story. Maybe find out more about the occupant.

This could be so completely cool! Not many people have an old shack (with an abandoned house behind it) near their home, containing 19th century documents and who knows what else.

I was at the Denver ANA and there were no exhibits of similar nature.

DesertRat

I was looking in google for any reference to a "Ruth Waldo" in that time period. The only one I can find is a reference to a woman named Ruth Waldo being the first female Vice President of the J. Walter Thompson Company in 1915.

Wonder if that is the same girl who is on your letter and the report card? The age would be about right.

The reference to Ruth Waldo is about half way down this document.Linkification

SilverEagles92

At the same time, a significant number of women at J. Walter Thompson came directly from the suffrage campaign and women’s reform. Helen Resor hired activists newly unemployed after passage of the women’s suffrage amendment, among them Terese Olzendam, circulation manager of The Suffragist magazine, and Frances Maule, formerly head of the publication department of the National American Women’s Suffrage Association. Ruth Waldo, J. Walter Thompson’s first woman vice president, worked for the Russell Sage Foundation and the New York Charity Organization Society before joining the firm in 1915. As one of her co-workers recalled, "When Waldo went back to tell the Social Work people, they were scandalized. You see, they thought it was fine to be helping people, but not to work to make money." She added: "Miss Waldo felt a bit that way herself."

That'd be awesome! I can't imagine there are too many Ruth Waldo's in this time period, but I don't know why she would leave a small town like Cary, NC to head up north to NY state. Maybe, or maybe not. Good reference!

SilverEagles92

<< <i>To exhibit at the Charlotte ANA, start here:

http://www.money.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=National_Money_Show&Template=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&ContentID=5002

Maybe there are MD exhibit opportunities at MD clubs as well.

You'd set up one or more rectangular glass-topped cases and arrange your stuff inside. You need some numismatic material assuming you find some, or could add coinage/currency of the era (or earlier) from another source, or merchant tokens, though it would be much cooler to only use site-specific finds. You could add maps, or photos of the shack and diagrams of the property and where certain things were found. Pieces of wood, whatever helps tell the story. Maybe find out more about the occupant.

This could be so completely cool! Not many people have an old shack (with an abandoned house behind it) near their home, containing 19th century documents and who knows what else.

I was at the Denver ANA and there were no exhibits of similar nature. >>


Would the bank book and sales log be numismatically-related enough, or should I try to find something else?

Sparkle

For an ANA exhibit you'd probably want to include coinage, currency, tokens, medals, or other numismatic material.
For an exhibit at a historical society show, if there is such a thing, you could probably run with what you have with some descriptions.
For an exhibit at a MD show or meeting, I have no clue.

BobGreene

<< <i>I love finding that kind of stuff. Years ago I was ripping old insulation out of my attic dormers and it turns out that they used pressed newspaper sandwiched between tar paper. Anyway the first paper I pulled out had "The search for Amelia Earhart continues..." on the front page. History likes that smacks you right in the nose.
>>



When I was a kid my family owned an old house that was built by a retiring union General for his new bride in 1865. My dad had to open a wall in order to install wiring for a new light fixture, and in doing so discovered a hidden room. Everybody had thoughts of finding a rich treasure, but all that was in the room were hundreds of old Ball Mason jars. Oh well. When my mother was preparing the insides of the bench kitchen seats for painting she discovered that an old newspaper had been glued to the inside wall. Carefuly removing it in as large of peices as possible, she found that it was from 1876 and recounted the Battle of Little Bighorn and listed the dead. It was quite a cool find!

ricko

That is very cool... In the mountains, where I grew up, there are several of these old places. When I move back, I will be MD'n them thoroughly. Cheers, RickO

DesertRat

When I was a kid I found an old newspaper under my parents house with the headlines "French Face Major Challenge in Indochina"

I think I still have that page stuck in a photo album somewhere.