Often when looking for an item to catalog, I find the unexpected. Almost every other day I seem to find something that is pretty cool.

Sometimes items are concealed in boxes or hidden behind other artifacts. Sometimes they are on the shelves and sometimes under them, but one of my first significant finds was a pair of old binoculars.

They were hidden behind bigger items on a shelf and if I would have just walked by, they would still be there!

Initially, I wasn’t sure of their significance so I took the binoculars to Amelia. She discovered they were more than 100 years old and made in France for the U.S. Army to use during World War I. Better yet, they were in good condition.

The binoculars are now on display in the museum with other World War I artifacts. It is exciting to find historically significant items for all of us.

Rachel Boland is a dedicated museum volunteer who loves history.