George Washington’s Headquarters has been a historic site for almost 170 years, and even though it’s been used as a museum to educate people on what life was like in the 18th century, it still has its own mysteries.

While work was being done on Washington’s Headquarters, Palisades Restoration Crew member James Decker discovered a small paper box was behind the chimney of the Hasbrouck House, and inside the box was a ring and a thimble. On June 20th, Division of Historic society members presented their findings on what they called “The Mystery Box”.
The team members included Objects Conservator Heidi Miksch; Paper Conservator Michele Phillips; and Curator Amanda Massie. Miksch is responsible for care and preservation of fine and decorative arts, utilitarian and military objects, archeological artifacts, and natural history specimens. Philips cares for and preserves archive, library, and paper collections as well as glass items. Massie works on exhibitions teams, develops furnishing plans, and provides research support for staff at the sites. Working together, they uncovered a number of facts about the mystery box, some findings were definitive, and others are still inconclusive. Here are a few highlights:

• The ring, made of 10-12 karat gold, has a stone made from copper crystals in a glass matrix called “goldstone.”

• The ring, upon closer examination has a latch, which reveals a hidden compartment. Inside was found a piece of red cloth, possibly silk, enclosed under glass. Keepsakes of fabric were common to remember an event or loved one.

• The thimble, originally thought to be brass.

• The same initial, “M.” was engraved on both items. There were other markings, thought to be left by the jeweler who either engraved or worked on each piece.

• The ring and thimble were dated earlier than expected: 1850’s-1860’s, instead of 1880’s as initially assumed.

• Fiber samples were taken from the box and spot tested for the presence of wood pulp. The presence of wood pulp would identify the box as manufactured post 1850. However, the lack of wood pulp does not necessarily indicate it was manufactured before 1850, non-wood containing paper is being manufactured to this day. Ultimately the test for wood-pulp was inconclusive. As it turned out, the ring design and style were a more accurate dating method.

• Due to the dating of the ring, it is assumed that these objects were left after the Hasbrouck House was opened as a Historic Site in 1850. Therefore, it might have been associated with one of the caretakers or their families, and not left during the time of General Washington’s stay.

These findings have caught the attention of both local and international educators. Virginia McCurdy, a 9th grade English teacher at Newburgh Free Academy, has her honor students do a creative writing challenge to create stories and theories about the ring and thimble, who may have hidden them, and how they ended up in the Hasbrouck House, such as ‘A Ring For Alexander’ by Angelina Porco:

Before he left for the war, Alexander and I spent a day together; little did I know it was the last day I would ever have him in my life. He gave me a beautiful ring to wear to remember him, and I can still hear his voice clearly say, “Mary, wear this ring until I return home to you, for it is a promise of my devotion and love”. I kept this ring on for almost five months, and I never thought to take it off. But I knew that when I became Israel’s wife, I would have to remove the the ring from my finger and keep it somewhere safe. I put the ring in a small makeshift paper box along with a thimble I was using the day Alex and I met, and I hid it far away from everyone.

I know it is a terrible and unholy thought, but many times I feel like leaving this earth so I can be with Alex. I don’t want to wait half a century to see the only man I have ever loved.
You see, the revolution becomes a part of my life no matter how hard I try. If I cannot die, I wish I could run away and leave the Hudson Valley, leave New York, even leave this continent and go somewhere where there is no war and we don’t have to fight for our freedom. And to go somewhere where Alexander is waiting for me. I am but seventeen, and I’ve been forced to be so much older. (Porco)

Meanwhile, Linda Van de Wall, a primary school teacher in Melbourne, Australia, contacted Historic Site Manager Elyse Goldberg to find updates on the mystery box because she and her class were very interested in it. Her class did something similar to Mrs. McCurdy’s class and wrote guesses about who owned the objects and why they were hidden for so long, and whoever comes closest to the final revelation gets a prize. Mrs. Van de Wall also said that, “We often read stories that are set in America and will be looking at aspects of American history next term when we examine civics and citizenship both here in Australia and abroad”. It’s interesting to see how this historical mystery has struck a chord with so many different people, even reaching beyond America to people who are interested in the history of another country.

Elyse Goldberg believes that the reason this mystery has interested so many people is because these kinds of discoveries don’t normally happen in historical societies. The curators originally wanted to use the Paper Box mystery as a way to engage students and to educate them about historical awareness. It was also used as a vehicle to help people understand the roles that curators and conservators play in the historical society, because without their knowledge, research and experience, the society and by extension the audience wouldn’t have the knowledge of the box’s contents that they do now. But most of all, this experience shows that there are always new things to learn about history. Just because a period of history is over, doesn’t mean there aren’t new discoveries to make and new mysteries to solve. The new things we learn about history can awaken our creativity, teach us new things about society that can just as easily apply to the here and now and maybe even bring us closer to those who have died.