A Time Capsule Found in a Little House
I read this article out of the U.K. about a man who found a letter from 1936 hidden behind the paneling of his home.
You might remember, that I wrote a post last December about hiding a note to future owners of Our Little House in the wall of the Belle Writer’s Studio before it was sealed with drywall. I did this as a kid too, having put a note about our family in the wall of our kitchen in our little bungalow as it was about to be sealed. I would imagine the initials my siblings carved in the drying concrete of the basement there is also still evidence of our family’s lives there.
The woman in the note from Great Britain asked future owners to take care of her little house. Married with a new baby, she wrote with passion of her life and her home. I could identify with her hope that future owners would take care of the home where she lived with her family.
As I read this article, I imagined again what it might be like in 50, 60, 70, or even 100 years when someone decides to renovate our property and finds my letter and photos.
Have you ever left a note to be found in the walls, carved initials in drying concrete or otherwise left some time capsule in your home? If you’re building, would you do it now?
i put a time capsule behind a wall about 10 years ago in my first house. i put in a list of what the renovations had cost, what the wages of the time were, a newspaper with car and realestate pages, a list with general prices for the times, ie, price of coffee, petrol, a weeks groceries etc. it would be neat to think that in 50 years or whatever, some one ripped down that wall lining and found my zip lock bag and got a laugh out of it.
I bet whoever finds that gets more than a laugh out of it, Brendie. They will probably be very appreciative!
We live in a 140 year old house that we are constantly renovating. We did not put anything in the walls but when we first took down some of the old walls we found, among other things (including girdles, clothing and old newspapers, no doubt used as insulation) a note that said “First car passed by —- (I forget the date, sadly, and I don’t know if my husband kept the note or not) but it was in the very early years of the 19th century.
Oh, how fun, Olivia. I bet you could just imagine looking out your window and seeing the first car ever to pass by your home!
I have never left a note but love the idea. A neighbor found a photo album, showing our house and the family that lived here in 1903, and gave the album to my mother. I put some of the photos on the history page of our Web site. It is fun connecting with people who shared the same space, albeit at different times.
It is, Alexandra. You feel like you share a common life, albeit decades or even centuries apart. This thread also reminds me that I still have photos of my parent’s Big Brick Tudor that has the original owners in it. I need to take the photos to the current owners. They are taking care of the home and seem to appreciate it, so I think they would appreciate having the photos.
I’ve never done any renovation but I have put initals and dates in wet concrete, one of which was done back in high school. It’s still there in the alley behind the parents house.
I think it’s great fun to look at those types of things and wonder who did it and what prompted them to leave their mark.
I wrote in the cement foundation of a new house that was being built across the street where I grew up and got caught….what ever you do,don’t include your last name. I was about 8 10 when I did that.
That’s funny, Susan, and great advice! 🙂
I think that would be a great idea, Frugal! 🙂
What a neat idea. We are doing some renovation soon. Maybe we should put a letter in the wall too.