Mystery box found on side of the road contains decades of memorabilia

Carol Hutnick found a box full of history on Highway 29 near Kelly's Steakhouse on Tuesday. Among the incredible items just lying on the side of the road are an 1860s-era photograph of General James B. Weaver and World War II ration books with unspent coupons in them. When Blacksburg's Carol Hutnick stopped to place yard sale signs along Highway 29 on Tuesday, she had no idea she was about to find a virtual time capsule in the grass near Kelly's Steakhouse.

"I was about to put down some signs and there it was, this beat-up cardboard box," Hutnick recalled. "I knew right away it must be kind of old, because of the style of box. It looked important and I didn't want it thrown away, so I picked it up and kept it."

When she got home and inspected the contents, she knew she'd made the right decision.

"There were all kinds of historical documents," she said. "There were family photos, some from what looked like the 1800s. There were old obituaries, war records, ration books with coupons still in them from World War II. And all kinds of vacation souvenirs."

After more research, Hutnick learned that one name kept coming up in the documents and addresses on the various pieces of mail in the box. The box belonged to Myrtis LeBlanc Quinn, or perhaps one of her relatives. According to a search of Gaffney Ledger archives, Quinn died March 11, 1998 at Peachtree Center in Gaffney. Her brother David passed away a few years before she died. David is mentioned in several documents and is prominent in several of the photographs.

The items in the box include all manner of pictures - mostly black and white and some very yellowed with age. Of particular note is an 1800s-era photograph of Gen. James B. Weaver and an original obituary for Weaver that ran in the New York Times on Feb. 7, 1912. In addition to his military service, Weaver was a United States Congressman in the 1880s and ran for president on the Populist ticket in 1862.

Various other historical documents include the World War II ration booklets issued to Quinn on May 6, 1942. Some of the booklets still have unspent stamps. One even contains a handwritten note inside the back cover that reads, "I owe you 4 sugars - J.K."

Quinn resided in New York City at the time. Numerous correspondences have "N.Y.C." postmarks from the 1940s up to the 1960s.

Quinn has no known living relatives in the Gaffney area. Hutnick said she was at a loss as to how the box ended up on the side of the road.

"I don't want to keep it," she said. "I hope that some distant relative might read about it in the paper and claim it. If not, perhaps we can donate it to the historical society."

Anyone with information on the box, or related to Quinn, is encouraged to contact The Gaffney Ledger at (864) 4891131.