I love reading mysteries, searching for past generations of my family, digging for information to provide provenance for antiques we buy--always new things to learn! In an earlier post I told about shopping at the antique mall in Pardeville, Wisc. and included some pictures of the primitives for sale there. In one of the booths I was drawn to a small reddish box sitting in the corner of a shelf in a large cupboard. Upon picking it up, looking at the tag this is what I read: Official "State of Minnesota" wooden box--possibly a ballot box. "State of Minnesota" still readable--state seal is not. Well, did I need encouragement or persuasion? I walked immediately to the front desk to add it to my stash of goods. This little box is still in my possession and will remain with me. Could it have been a ballot box? Could it have been used to collect mail somewhere in the countryside? Could it have been nailed to the seat of a stagecoach? Could it have held government papers? There are two large holes in the bottom as you can see in the picture so it was obviously attached to something. Oh, the possibilities for my imagination to run rampant. I think in terms of life at Pomme de Terre, Grant County in the time of my great grandparents which I wrote about in Echos of the Past. Ah yes, could it have been.............
