A wallet lost in 1958 was discovered in a historic Atlanta movie theater and has been returned to the owner's family.
Plaza Theatre owner Chris Escobar came across the wallet lying behind a bathroom wall in what was once a closet at the 84-year-old venue.
"It was a portal back in time," he told CNN of the find.
The wallet contained old family photos, a raffle ticket for a car, insurance cards, and credit cards from closed local stores, according to CNN.
Further, it held receipts for 10 gallons of gas for $3.26 and most importantly, a license with the name Floy Culbreth, Atlanta News First (ANF) reported.
"Realizing that this has been missing from this family of real people who lived in this neighborhood for 65 years, imagine if we could find them," Escobar told the network.
He and his wife, Nicole, were able to eventually track down an online obituary for Culbreth's husband, Roy, and through social media, they located the couple's 71-year-old daughter, Thea Chamberlain, who lived less than 20 minutes away from the theater.
"To be honest, Mother losing stuff would not have been a surprise," Culbreth's daughter told the outlet of her mom.
She described Culbreth, who died more than 10 years ago, as a "spicy June Cleaver" and a Sunday school teacher who worked with those with cerebral palsy. Each year, the family holds an annual golf tournament to continue supporting the cause.
Commenting on the discovery of the wallet, Chamberlain said it was "quite touching."
"A flood of memories came back, and it kind of brought her back again," she said.
Culbreth's children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren went to the theater to pick up the long-lost artifact.
Chamberlain said it was a "special moment" seeing her own 5- and 7-year-old grandchildren looking through the items found in their great-grandmother's wallet.
"They knew it was something to be treasured," she added.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.