Artifacts Found in Old Pulaski County Building during Demolition

  
 

A demolition order has been moving forward on a property next to the old hotel in Medaryville and Brian Capouch  told the Pulaski County Commissioners this week that they found some historic items in the old floors in the building.

“Underneath the floors, which they had put in in 1910, we found big, thick stacks of newspapers,” told Capuch. “I have a story here, from a Chicago paper, is the notice that Mr. Comiskey is about to build a new ballpark for the Sox. This, for me, was way more valuable, it’s a letter. The old man who had the hotel was ill and this was a letter that he got from a drugist from Royal Center – which was spelled C-e-n-t-r-e at the time, as a receipt for 50 bushels of corn he bought for 46 cents a bushel.

“We’ve taken out about 30 old bottles. This is a beer bottle from Logansport and this is a Bitters bottle that was made in Boston, Massachusetts in 1858.”

Capouch added that the papers from Lafayette, Indianapolis and Chicago were intact and provide a good look into the news into the early 1900s. The crews have also saved about 25 drawings on the walls that date from 1888 to 1892. He hopes to work with the Pulaski County Historical Society to put the items in the museum for all residents to see.

The entire demolition site will be cleaned by Aug. 30.