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condition. One item that stood out was a carousel horse. It was quite large and had evidently come from an old merry-go-round. Some pieces of paint had flecked off, but other than that it looked good. I pointed to it.
     
    “Where did this come from Jeb?”
     
    Jeb walked over and put his hand on the horse’s head. “Many years before you all were born, there was a carousel set up in the park. I remember riding it when I was just knee high, that’s how old it is. A great-great grandfather of the Hodges created the carousel and gave it to the town. Unfortunately it fell into disrepair. I wanted to keep a piece of it since it reminded me of happy times when I was a child. Nobody from town council minded, so I took my favorite horse here, Miss Whinny.”
     
    “What a sweet story.” The horse had definitely seen better days, but I could tell the craftsmanship was very detailed. 
     
    Stormi picked up one of the Coke bottles. “I remember when you and Mamaw would collect Coke memorabilia. Brandon and I use to eat snacks off the coke trays when we’d come over and spend the night.”
     
    Jeb chuckled. “I remember. You two would fight over which tray you got. We’d sit you and Brandon down on the couch and bring in a bowl of ice cream each and some popcorn on the trays so you could eat while watching television before heading to bed.”
     
    “I loved those trays. Do you still have them?”
     
    “Oh yes.” Jeb waved his hand in the direction of one of the other buildings. “I’m sure they’re here somewhere.”
     
    Jeb walked to one of the other buildings as we followed behind. He slid back the tarps to expose more items, including old Indian arrowheads, Civil war canteens, and an old muzzle loader. The items were quite eclectic. An antique shop owner would go nuts here.
     
    Stormi looked around in wonderment. “I remember a lot of this stuff from when I was a kid.”
     
    “I’m sure you do.” Jeb picked up one of the old Civil War canteens. “You and Brandon use to play with these canteens. You two would act like you were on safari and dying from thirst.” Jeb chuckled. “Your grandmother and I would laugh at how dramatic you were. You’d lie on the ground clutching at your throat and with a raspy voice say, ‘I’m dying of thirst.”
     
    “That’s how I always got the lead in the school plays.” Stormi definitely had a flair for the dramatic. “They knew a star when they seen one.”
     
    “All of this is incredible Jeb.” I continued to look around in amazement at old toys, lunch boxes, and Barbie dolls still in their boxes. Old butter churns and coffee grinders sat in corners. There were so many different items.
     
    “Papaw, we ought to see if we could rent a place downtown and put all these items in it, like a museum. That way people could see a part of history from the town…like these sculptures. This one of a round eraser came from the old Jr. High school didn’t it?”
     
    “Yes it did.” Jeb walked over to the eraser sculpture. It was old time eraser, round with a handle on top. I never used one, but I remember seeing photos of them. The sculpture sat in the middle of the courtyard leading to the front door of the old Jr. High. The city tore the building down years ago, but Jeb must have gotten the sculpture.
     
    “See, like that…it’s a part of Caesars Creek’s heritage. It would be better to put these items in a museum where people can see and read about them than to keep it all buried here.” I agreed with Stormi, but it was up to Jeb.
     
    Jeb scratched his chin. “I’m not sure. Things are moving a little too fast for me. I’d have to give it some thought.”
     
    “I understand Papaw.” Stormi walked over and put her hand on his arm. “I know how going through all of this is stirring up memories for you.”
     
    Jeb wiped a tear emerging from his eye. “Yes, it is. But I will give what you said some serious thought. I promise.”
     
    “There’s no rush