Discovery in a Century-Old Home
You’d think new homeowners don’t uncover anything out of the ordinary in their houses, right? Well, that’s not the case for Curtis Smith from Wyoming. During some renovations on his century-old home, he stumbled upon something truly unexpected—an old letter tucked away in the walls.
Smith made this fascinating discovery while he was working on his house, which he bought back in 2002. He shared his experience on the r/FoundPaper Reddit forum, explaining how he decided to take down an existing closet to create a new bathroom entrance. Naturally, the renovation became a bit chaotic, what with the plaster and lathe everywhere.
While clearing up the mess, he caught sight of a small blue envelope. He believes it likely fell into the wall when the house was originally constructed about a hundred years ago. To his surprise, it was a letter from a sister in Bantry, Ireland, addressed to a man named Kong Xia, who lived in Casper, Wyoming.
According to Smith, “It was a letter from Mr. Shea thanking his family back home in Ireland for a gift they had given him.” He found it quite moving, allowing him to connect with history by giving updates on life back in Ireland.
Intrigued, Smith researched the man who built the house. Turns out, he was an immigrant who became quite successful as a shepherd in Wyoming, which is another little piece of history that adds depth to Smith’s home.
The rabbit hole didn’t stop there. Smith shared details about his findings on his Flickr account and, eventually, connected with a distant relative of the house’s builder. They exchanged photographs and newspaper articles, piecing together what the man’s life was like back in the day.
He eventually decided to send the letter to Boston so that it could be with the living relatives—essentially returning it to its rightful place. “All this to say is that we actually found what I wanted to find all those years ago,” Smith noted. “You never know what you’re going to find.”
Interestingly, Smith isn’t the only one who has encountered hidden treasures in a newly purchased house. In another story, a bride-to-be found a vintage wedding dress tucked away in the attic of her new home.
Caitlin Ostraza, from Illinois, shared her experience on TikTok, which has gone viral with nearly three million views. The caption read something like, “This is not the previous owner’s dress, but we loved it so much we wanted to use what’s left as a borrowed item for our wedding.” It seems like a lot of hidden surprises lie behind those walls!
