Secret Treasures.
Have you ever found a secret treasure hidden in something that was given to you or that you have found? Only once has this happened to me. My husband and I purchased a Ranch 85 miles from our home and the previous owner was somewhat of a pack rat.
It took us months to rid the property of unwanted items such as an old mobile home, scrap metal; we tilled the old corn fields and remodel the home to make it more user friendly. There was this old wooden table that appeared to have been used as a work bench and left out in the weather. One day the legs fell off and my husband used them on the newly made fireplace hearth.
We installed SOD but did not have the sprinkler system ready for use underground, so when the lawn needed watering, I would place that old wooden table next to the house to keep the water from washing the stain on the siding. The table appeared to be made out of barn wood with a piece of galvanize over the top and rolled around the edges. You can see it in the photo.
One day while working at the ranch alone and filling up our dump trailer with scrap metal, I attempted to remove the galvanized top without any success. I removed every nail used to secure the top and struggled to get it off. Since I was starting a good size burn pile, I figured since there was wood underneath, I would through it into the burn pile and the galvanized would be the only ruminates..
Little did I know beneath that top laid a Secret Treasure? As I began to toss that stubborn table into the fire, the wood and galvanized seemed to separate and swing as if it was on a hinge, which it was not. I began to fall catching myself and almost stepping on the Secret Treasure. I looked to see what the heck was under that metal. It was an newspaper in very good shape. It looked very old by the cover photo and then as I looked at the date, I about fell over. March 4, 1928. It was the automotive section of the Oakland Tribune and it displayed every car made in 1927 and 1928. I could not believe my eyes. The sad part was, I had no one present to share this rare find with.
There was a slight tear in the metal directly in the middle which you can see in the photo, and to think I was using it to deflect water. Oh my goodness. When I looked further, underneath that paper was another one, March 7, 1928 Nevada Journal. I asked myself, why someone would place these papers underneath the table top and how lucky I was to not have destroyed it.
The Freakiest part of the whole ordeal was that on the very back page of the Automotive Section, was a photo of a 1927 Willys Knight similar to the one given to me just a few years prior. What are the odds? The stories, want ads and articles give you a glimpse of 1927 and 1928. This was a true step back in time.
