One of the reasons I wanted to buy a very old house was the fantasy that I would come across treasure. Finding hidden Comstock lode silver or Barbary Coast gold pieces would be nice but actually finding historical items in unexpected places is just as rewarding.
Case in point, I had to fix an area in the basement that was damaged by long term neglect. As I was removing what looked like old paper, I saw that a piece of it had some color. Upon closer inspection (and a quick search on the web) I learned that what I found was an original 7th Armored Division patch from WWII.
The 7th Armored crashed the Omaha and Utah beaches,liberated cities in France and held positions along the Seine river and also fought at the Battle of the Bulge. You can see the interesting history here
The unit was known as the "Lucky 7" and was one of the most highly decorated units of the war. I imagine that a previous owner of our house was part of the unit, survived the war and, for some reason, attached his patch to a post in the basement.
I have this neat patch in my office and plan to create a small display for it with a note about the 7th Armored Division. Thanks for your war service, sir, wherever you are.
What an awesome find! When reupholstering my couch from the 60's, I found several 60's photographs inside the batting. Makes you wonder how these things got where they did but makes you glad you found them!
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