Buried Treasures

I love old houses because they have a history and a story to tell. I really wish the walls of our new home could talk so they could tell us about the things that they have seen and the families who lived there. As we've been working on the house, Will and I have started getting to know it and have learned a little of its story. We have already made some interesting and exciting discoveries in our first two weeks with the house. In addition to bad wiring, leaking pipes, spider webs and LOTS of dog hair, we have found the following treasures:

• A dollar bill stuck up in the ceiling in the "bathroom" in our basement. (I used quotes because the house was listed as having 1 1/2 baths and this 1/2 bathroom in the basement is actually just a disgusting toilet surrounded by moldy walls.) I think Will said it was from 1983 or something. I wonder if someone put it up there to hide it and then forgot to come back and get it? Maybe the daughter of the women who sold us the house? Or they could've used it to plug a hole?
• A mouse skeleton. Will found this when he had to cut a hole in one of the moldy walls in the basement bathroom. He, of course, couldn't wait to show me this discovery. It is still completely intact. We've put out some traps but haven't caught any mice yet.
• "I love Elvis." This is written inside a closet in one of the upstairs bedrooms. I has been painted over but you can still make out what it says. The bedroom must have belonged to the woman who sold the house to us. She's lived in the house her whole life. The bedroom has pink floral wallpaper that was probably put up there when she was a little girl. I actually like the wallpaper. It's very charming. But, it's not in good shape so it will likely have to come down.
• A $5,000 chandelier. Yes, I said $5,000. The hideous chandelier in our dining room that I was going to attempt to sell on Craigslist for $30 is actually a Murano Glass chandelier made in Italy and was appraised at $5,000. It's a really good thing that I noticed the little sticker on it. (We're not sure yet what we are going to do with it.) The woman who lived there before us was an antiques dealer so I don't know how long the chandelier has been in the house. It could be original or she could've purchased it recently. I'm not sure why she didn't take it with her. Now that we know how much it is worth, it is not quite so ugly to us.
• Cabinets made by General Motors. We have metal cabinets in our kitchen that have stickers inside the doors saying they were made by Frigidaire, a part of General Motors. American made.... I like it!

You would never find any of this in a new house! Our house may not be energy efficient, but it is strong and solid and has lots of charm and character. And I am really looking forward to uncovering and adding to its story.