Found a weird metal box in a free pile, had to decide whether to open it or toss it

I was walking my dog near the old train yard last Tuesday and saw a small, locked metal box in a 'free' pile on the curb. It was super rusty and had no markings. My choice was basically to take it home and try to pry it open, or just leave it there because it was probably junk. I took it, used a flathead screwdriver to jimmy the latch, and it was full of old, faded black and white photos from maybe the 1940s. No names, just pictures of people in front of old cars and a house. It's a cool find but now I have no idea who they are. Has anyone else found a mystery box and figured out its story?

2 comments

2 Comments

sean5021mo ago

Honestly, the local historical society might be your best bet. Those old photos are probably from a house that got cleared out nearby. They love that stuff and might even have other pictures from the same family. It's a long shot, but way better than the box just getting thrown in the trash.

brooke5331mo ago

My aunt found a box of tintype photos from the 1800s in her attic last year. She took them to the county archives and they were able to identify three of the people. It felt good to know those faces weren't just lost to a landfill somewhere. That's a solid idea to try the historical society. Even if they can't find the family, at least the photos get saved. It's way too easy for that kind of history to just disappear.