When Mark Williams heard that a demolition crew at Camp Roberts found an interesting object while knocking down some World War II-era buildings, he thought it must be another soldiers long-lost wallet.

They said, We found something cool, and its in our truck. I wondered what would have to come in a truck, said Williams, who oversees the environmental office at the camp. And when we pulled down the tailgate, it was like, Wow!

The discovery: an original cast-iron El Camino Real bell, more than a century old.

Within the same week, crews unearthed another surprising discovery an old film canister containing a 1952 film reel for the Walt Disney production Two Gun Goofy.

This film reel was found in the footprint of an administration building that was torn down in recent months. It was likely kept in a wooden safe the camp once stored in floor cutouts, said Blaize Uva, a contract archaeologist at the National Guard base just north of San Miguel.

We think that the film was kept in one of these safes, which later deteriorated, leaving the film on the ground underneath the building, hence the good preservation, she added.

Demolition of most of the camps World War II-era structures began last year. The first phase of the project will be complete in mid-June and has so far removed most of the ghost-town type buildings passersby saw along Highway 101. During the demolition, decades-old wallets have been turning up in the debris, shaken out from the hiding places thieves stashed them in long ago.

An old wooden bat, metal lighters, boot wax and tiny glass bottles with metal caps containing chlorine tablets for purifying water have also been found during the demolition. When a breakup letter from a soldiers girlfriend was found, researchers chuckled at the womans desire to leave the man for another suitor who owned two cars while the solider had just a Ford.

Camp officials say the bell brings a broader historical connection to the general public.

They were shocked to find something of this scale, Uva said.

See the original post here:
Surprises unearthed at Camp Roberts as demolition continues

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May 31, 2013 at 10:53 am by Mr HomeBuilder
Category: Demolition