March, 2004
This is a good much about nothing article.
I have just had an interesting find while working tonight on my new old floor at soon to be Karen’s Stained Glass Studio, corner of Dallas and Hickory, Mt Vernon, MO.
I was raking out dirt between the cracks in preparation for varnish. I swear, enough 100 year old dirt to make garden! I had run the shop vac to pick up the dirt and was on my hands and knees scrubbing excess filler from nail holes. There on the clean floor, alone, in plain sight, was a shiny, pink gem. I got down closer, rolled it around like a kid would a bug before I finally picked it up gently. Actually, it was half a stone on closer examination, from a round set. It’s about 1/4 by 1/8 inch. A nice little marques, now.
I was working away, never dreaming of finding anything pretty. The spoils of war I guess, for I was battling with those pesky pins that kept coming up. It was a dry goods store for sure, for there were straight pins, needles, a bobby pin and one huge darning needle.
I’m sure I’ll never find the other half if there is one and not ever know if it was broken with belt sanders, concrete scrapers or grinders. For, it was found awfully close to where I had to remove concrete from the boards before sanding.
Reminds me of finding broken arrowheads after the field was plowed. Sometimes the wheels of progress smash little buried treasures.
I have been told not to expect to find old coins or gold in old floors, for they would have torn up the floor boards to rescue a dime in those days. So who knows the story of this pink piece of history?
And what’s it made of? Ruby or glass? In the morning, I’m off to my neighbor, Jerry the Jeweler, to learn the fate. Shall I not find out and just say, "Mount this up in a pretty little ring. I love pink. It will have great value to me."
Karen Whitesell
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