Treasure From The Ruins

The house was not in good shape when the tenant lived in it, and it's just a courtesy to refer to the structure as a "house." Perhaps it might have qualified at one time, but neglect as well as time and abandonment had taken its toll. What was left was a living room and a kitchen - crouching room only, since the ceilings were collapsing. It won't be long before it's just a big pile of wood and shingles.

Some Crystal Was Recovered

We had noticed the house long ago - had even known the resident, an elderly man with no family. He had inherited the small lot with its four rooms (sans bathroom - it had and still has an outhouse) from his family before him. At several times over the years some of my own relatives had attempted to purchase the small lot, but each time they were rebuffed. It was only after the gentleman passed away that they were able to acquire it.

The Itch To Explore

I had turned my exploring eye onto the old place during the winter of 2006. At that time, the land had not yet changed hands, and so Mr. Honest didn't pursue the matter. Then, in the spring of 2007, the land became part of my family's less than vast holdings - but the sheer look of the place forbade exploration. It just had the look of a snake's den, and yours truly has no desire to be bitten by a serpent. As it was, it was bad enough trying to avoid touching the many (many, many) rat's nests infesting the place. Thankfully, the rats themselves didn't make an appearance.

Yes, That's Pink Glass

Annoyed at the condition of the place, but too afraid of the consequences of entering, I abandoned the thought and returned home.

Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind

I put aside all thoughts of the ruined house until Thanksgiving of 2007, when I dusted off my suitcases and once again ventured off to visit the family. After one long day of visiting and catching up on one another's life and news, my thoughts again turned to the old house.

A Beautiful Bowl In Perfect Condition

It was the weekend after Thanksgiving. It was raining and quite cold outside. It was perfect weather for exploring ruins. No snakes would be out unless I was unfortunate enough to be walking into a den. I could deal with the rats. So, what do I do? I quickly secured permission to poke around the old ruin (my family has no interest in the place; as far as they are concerned it needs to be bulldozed) and was given outright permission to take anything I wanted.

Meager Finds But Great Excitement

Imagine yourself beneath an almost forbidding canopy of trees which tower over tall grass, briars, and brush. In the midst of this setting is The House. Now put yourself in the kitchen of The House with a ceiling that has practically collapsed; walls buckling. Your only light is a flashlight. Your only companion is a garden hoe that you've brought along. The rain was hitting me, coming in through the collapsing roof, as I used a garden hoe to open cabinets upon which the ceiling had collapsed. Many of the dishes had shattered. As a matter of fact, MOST of the dishes had shattered. In one place the bottom of a wooden cabinet had rotted out and the remains of beautiful antique dishes lay on the floor.

My New Water Pitcher

I had just about given up the idea of anything surviving in the cabinets, when my light hit something shiny green - glasses! A complete set of four (picture below). This little find renewed my interest, and so I turned my attention to some of the bottom cabinets. With the hoe, I began to rake the piles of roof and wood away from their doors. Would I find anything here? Alas...nothing.

Clay Crock - No, It's Not Perfectly Round

Then it was the next cabinet. And nothing.

Another View Of The Picture Above

One bottom cabinet left. The cabinet had shifted over the years and was not square. After some difficulty I popped it open and: paydirt. Finally, piles of china plates and saucers. Fine china not from China, but from Japan. Diane Fine China. Royal Swirl Fine China - dinner plates. I found out later that they cost a whopping twelve dollars per plate. At least that's what they were going for on one internet dealer's web page. The saucers were 4 dollars each.

The Green Quads

Some of the finds were crocks. Clay bowls. And some were unique pink glass; two such pieces are shown on this page. One of my favorites which I have now put to use was an old green glass pitcher. Oh, have I mentioned the milk can? It sat forlornly in a corner, demoted from its original purpose and used as storage for cat food. It appears to be a ten gallon can. I found them on the net priced everywhere from 65-165 dollars. One on ebay was up to 65 dollars with a day or two to go on the auction.

Royal Swirl China

Check this out: the quality of the old milk can is awesome. It still had cat food in it, which had been there at least two years. It appeared to be just a fresh as ever. In fact, we emptied the can into a cat food sack which was promptly taken by a relative for his outside cats. They don't make 'em like that anymore.

Again, the title of this page is dramatic. I didn't find any real treasure, but the reward was in the search. I suppose the glassware could be treasure to the right person. For instance, my wife immediately claimed the china, and my sister-in-law was pleased with some of the things I ended up giving her. I also found other items - tools: ladders, chainsaw, extension cords, and hand tools.

Stainless Steel Milk Can

But of course, I suppose the main thing was the glassware, cookware, and dishes. You're seeing some of these throughout this page. Click on any picture to see a larger version.

And good luck when you explore those ruins.

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© Ruinedmetropolis.com 2006-2008, All rights reserved.