Reaching out his hand, he gently pulled back the carpet. His heart was racing as the mysterious object came into view. He looked closer.
He ran his eyes over its curious details until he found the date. Frozen, he looked to his wife. She looked back wide-eyed. Where did this come from and why was it buried here?
After living in Florida for 12 years, Christine and Grifford Watkins had decided to move back to their hometown in Nova Scotia, Canada to search for their dream home. They were in the market for an old house.
A house with character and charm that told a story with every detail of its architecture. Little did they know, they were about to bite off much more character than they could chew!
The Watkins knew exactly what they were looking for and after some research online, they found a town called Yarmouth which sounded right up their alley.
Yarmouth was a beautiful town that had old houses for sale that dated more than a hundred years old. The Watkins were keen to see them, so they made a decision they’d never forget.
Time was running out for the Watkins. They were under pressure to buy a house as they had a baby on the way. So it was with great relief that the second house they visited instantly felt like home. It was everything they were looking for.
They knew the second they entered that this house was now theirs. But they had no idea what was coming to them.
The Watkins’ new home was everything they wanted, and more. Three bedrooms, a spacious open plan dining room, two separate offices for the devoted couple, and a gigantic garden, perfect for hosting summer BBQs with all their family and friends.
They absolutely loved it, but there was just one problem. A big problem.
It needed work. They wanted to save what they could to keep its old history untouched but the floors had to go. Being fascinated by old things since childhood, Christine was the history buff in the relationship.
Thus, she was more upset to see the old floors go. She stood back while her husband started ripping. Then something unexpected happened.
Grifford grabbed his knife and started to tear into the fabric, making a clean sharp line towards his body.
As he was cutting, underneath the carpet grew more and more exposed. Christine stood behind Grifford, her mouth wide open and hundreds of questions running through her mind. But she had no idea what was coming next.
Grifford couldn’t cut anymore unless he moved back. As he changed position he became overwhelmed with curiosity. Like his wife, hundreds of questions ran through his mind, like an Olympian going for gold.
He cut a little bit more, and while blocking his wife’s view, he looked underneath. Suddenly, he fell back.
Grifford screamed in pain as his wife rushed over. Curled up on the ground, he was cradling his hands. Panicked, Christine asked him what was wrong.
She didn’t understand what had happened. What something under the carpet? Did he cut himself with a knife, or a nail? What on earth happened? She was about to call 911 when she saw it.
A smirk that turned into fits of laughter. He was messing with her. She angrily gave out to him while starting to pull on the carpet.
Her anger grew before she surrendered and laughed along at his foolishness. He continued to be amused at her reaction but she was about to get the last laugh.
Before Grifford got a chance to tap himself on the back, Christine sent him back to work. She left her silly husband and went downstairs to rummage though some storage boxes.
While she did that, Clifford continued to tear up the carpet, ripping up any loose section he could find, when something incredible happened.
Clifford fell back in amazement, knocking over a vase the couple was given for their wedding. The sound of the vase shattering into a million pieces jolted Christine who was downstairs. She tutted to herself before racing up the stairs.
Clifford called in his wife and she ran into the room. But this time it wasn’t another one of his pranks.
Pulling off the old carpet, something seemed to be sealed underneath. It looked like it had been there carefully placed there and had been there for a while.
Christine’s mind immediately perked up and her heart began to pound. Had they just stumbled upon a historical find? After all, the house was nearly 200 years old.
They reached their hands in and gently pulled out the mysterious object and Clifford nestled it inside the palm of his hand. The couple’s eyes were glued to the object. What was this doing here?
They blew the dust off its surface before their eyes ran over its details. And a terrible feeling hit the pit of their stomachs. .
Their eyes drifted to the date marked on the piece and they froze in their tracks. Was this a joke? Surely this had to be fake?
Suddenly, a past life exploded into the couple’s forevision as they thought about where this came from and why it was buried here. But more was still to be uncovered.
Grifford’s gut told him to cut more of the carpet. He had a feeling there were more things inside, just waiting to be discovered. So, after letting out a sigh, he continued to cut. Christine stood back, preying that something else would pop up.
A few seconds later, beneath the floor coverings, the Watkins found old shipping maps and nautical charts that had been protected by layers of foam, paper, and newspapers that dated back to the 1930’s. The couple was amazed by their discovery in their new home, but how much were they worth?
The Watkins placed their finds on the floor, stood back, and had another look at their discovery. Excitement and adrenaline ran through their veins. They knew these would sell for a good amount, but how much exactly?
They later found out that these items could be worth around 6,000 dollars. But that’s not all they found. They still had the rest of the house floors to tear up.
The Watkins found more newspapers in another room and an old piece of sheet music. They also found out more details about the house itself.
The house was built and owned by the Cann family for generations, who owned numerous ships and a shipping company. Using the information on the maps, they reckon the owners would have spent most of their time in the North American ocean.
The charts were of the English Channel and the Dutch Coast. The maps were of British North America which still has a mysterious terrain.
Looking at the map, Grifford explains, “You can see that there are some large sections of Canada that’s actually missing”, “So maybe these are unexplored regions of Canada.”
Following their find, the Watkins want the maps to remain in the maritime province where they have already garnered interest from museums and archives offering to provide them with a permanent home.
Their unexpected discovery gave the couple a moment of excitement they’d always remember. Especially for history buff Christine, as she explained it was like finding treasure in your own home!
