We’ve all gone through the pain of losing or forgetting our wallets, but only a few of us had the chance to turn this personal item into a time capsule.
View this post on Instagram
The employees of the historic Plaza Theater in Atlanta were busy doing the second phase of the theater’s rejuvenation initiative. They were uninstalling the tiles of the bathroom stalls when they found something they didn’t expect.
In the “far, far corner under the pipe,” they found a wallet.
Flashback to 1958, Floy Culbreth decided to watch a movie at the Plaza Theater. She might’ve dropped her wallet somewhere in the bathroom stalls and it was the last day she’d see it.
View this post on Instagram
The items in her wallet were a collection of stubs and cards that provided a snapshot of her life and a glimpse of 1950s Atlanta.
She has a receipt showing she paid $3.26 for 10 gallons of fuel, a photo of her father, credit cards for department stores, and a raffle ticket at an event giving out 4 1959 Chevrolets.
Escobar knew that he had something special in his hands.
He and his wife Nicole then tracked down Culbreth. It led them to an obituary post about the lady. Culbreth passed away last 2005.
Not giving up hope, the couple then tracked down Culbreth’s relatives through the obituary. They stumbled upon the Culbreth Cup Charity Golf Tournament, a philanthropic event organized by Culbreth’s grandchildren and a testament to her deeds.
Thea Chamberlain, Culbreth’s daughter, revisited the memories triggered by the wallet.
She described her as loving, generous, and feisty. Chamberlain fondly remembered the times when her mother would dress up as a fortune teller every Halloween and “read the fortunes” of different kids. She’d tell them hilariously outrageous stories like them meeting Elvis one day.
She also shared that everybody wanted to be in their house because of her parents.
The couple welcomes anyone anytime. But her charitable side started early on.
Back then, they were neighbors with a couple. The wife had polio as a child and the husband’s dedication to her inspired Culbreth to advocate for people with disabilities – a legacy that her grandchildren are continuing up to this day.
Chamberlain expressed how much the time capsule meant to her mother’s family.
“I think a simple thing like finding this wallet and reaching out is just such a kind gesture. Reach out to people because you never know what you’re going to do for their family.” She said to USA Today.
Meanwhile, the events that led to the wallet’s finding are part of a bigger project aimed at reviving the Plaza Theater.
The plan is to preserve the historic building while also giving it modernized amenities and features such as being more energy-efficient and more accessible.
The Plaza Theater is the oldest and only locally-owned movie theater in Atlanta. Christopher Escobar, the owner, also serves as the executive director of the Atlanta Film Society.
Watch how a renovation led to an unsuspecting time capsule from the 50s!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
