Workers find a wallet that has been missing for 65 years in American cinema: “A portal back in time” | outside

Under a pile of dust, in what used to be a closet, the builders discovered the withered burgundy wallet, frozen in time. A ticket to win a new 1959 Chevrolet, credit cards without a magnetic stripe, black and white family photos, insurance cards, and a doctor's appointment note. Everything was still in the wallet, which had remained untouched for decades.

“A portal back in time,” is how Chris Escobar, owner of the Plaza Theater, describes the discovery CNN. He was determined to return the history-filled wallet to the owner's family. It turns out that it is not that easy.

The owner of the wallet turns out to be Floy Culbreth. But women in those days were often called by their husbands' names, so the name Culbrith has been little researched. After some searching, Escobar and his wife found the obituary of Roy Culbreth, Floy's husband. They eventually ended up with Culbrith's daughter, Thea Chamberlain.

Now 71, Thea Chamberlain was just six years old when her mother lost her wallet. Chamberlain said the jewelry in the purse undoubtedly belonged to her mother. “It was very emotional,” Chamberlain said. “A flood of memories came back, and brought them back.”

The entire Culbreths family came to pick up the wallet. “They had children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren with them,” Escobar said. “So several generations of Culbreths were present to reclaim this lost piece of family history.” “Literally bringing back family history is a gift,” he continues.

Chamberlain watched as two of her grandchildren, ages seven and five, gingerly leafed through receipts and photos and asked their parents about their histories. “They knew it was something they would cherish,” she said. “This was a special moment.”