Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Corralitas Drive: Buried Treasure

Photo: Diane Edwardson, March 27, 2010. A neighbor recently found an antique watch while digging in the garden. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Until the mid-1950's, the City had no curbside trash pick-up. People, even in hillside neighborhoods, burned their trash. Today, neighbors in older neighborhoods often turn up artifacts in their gardens like old bottles, cans and even old Red Car Trolley railroad spikes. Once in a while, you'll hear of cars discovered buried in backyards in Echo Park. Photo: Diane Edwardson, March 27, 2010. It may be a retirement watch from an earlier owner. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

For now, Thomas S. Watters and how his watch ended up buried in the Corralitas Drive home's garden, is is a mystery. The house was built in 1929. Artifacts found elsewhere in the garden include a wall date-stamped "1932," an artistic homemade stepping stone (coming tomorrow) and rusty barbed wire (another reason to wear gloves while gardening).

Learn how one Echo Park homeowner researched his home's history on Echo Park Historical Society's website.