buttons under the floor?

Posted At : March 17, 2008 7:48 PM | Posted By : Dorie
Related Categories: housely things

We found something interesting this weekend--buttons from under the floor. As part of our kitchen renovation, Elie had to pull up some floorboards that were badly worn and running the wrong way because they used to be part of some other room and not the kitchen. (Who knows where some of these walls used to be!) There was this pile of mostly shell buttons under the floorboards. It didn't look like they got there accidentally. I mean, it's not like one or two buttons rolled into a crack. This was a little pile directly on top of pine board sub-flooring and directly underneath maple boards. The maple is quite old, so I'm guessing the buttons are too, but who knows. Most of the buttons have threads in the holes, like they were just pulled from the card. Again, who knows. This old house has its share of mysteries.

Does anybody know of any traditions in which buttons are put in the floor? Google seems to be unfamiliar with this idea.

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Such an intriguing mystery. I'm very interested to know how this turns out.

# Posted By kathy | 3/17/08 10:01 PM

Those are not off a card. Someone was saving them from clothes common old practice. The buttons have too much thread on them to be off of a card. Usually when clothes wore out people just cut the buttons off and didn't worry about unthreading them till use. These would be buttons from everyones shirts and clothes in the house. Mostly mens shirts. All but two of your buttons look to be from mens clothes. Men use to have MOP buttons on Sunday shirts. dress shirts, and even flannel shirts. I like the ones from their flannel shirts as they are usually dyed differnt colors.
take care and have fun cleaning your new treasure for use
Sunshine

# Posted By Sunshine's creations | 3/18/08 4:31 AM

no clue as to why they'd be there, but what a find!

# Posted By erin | 3/18/08 4:31 AM

what a fun little mystery. and i can think of very few things that would be better than finding buttons under the floor!

# Posted By amy | 3/18/08 6:28 AM

I like the idea that there was a child in the house hoarding buttons in a very safe place. Those things always make me smile. I know there's some treats hidden in the house I grew up in, though I have absolutely no clue where they might be or even what they are

# Posted By Bethieee | 3/18/08 8:20 AM

How intriguing! I immediately had a vision of somebody very little and very young "posting"buttons througha crack in the floor!

# Posted By kirsty | 3/18/08 4:06 PM

Our last house was 113 years old and at some point prior to our living there, someone had tied an old broom in the rafters of the basement. We left it there, just n case, for the entire 7 years we owned the house.

# Posted By Henny Penny | 3/18/08 8:26 PM

I lean toward Bethieee & Kirsty's idea - a child's secret little collection. How intriguing!

# Posted By Kim | 3/19/08 7:32 AM

Hmmmm... how did those little jewels get there?

# Posted By Lisa | 3/19/08 2:09 PM

buried treasure!

# Posted By meg | 3/19/08 5:25 PM

What a cool find. No clue as to how they ended up there. Some people who moved in to my great-great-grandparents' old house found letters from my great-grandfather to my great-grandmother in the walls when the people were renovating the house. Who knows what other hidden treasures you'll find.

# Posted By erica | 3/19/08 9:40 PM

To answer your email. MOP = Mother of Pearl. I grew up with my grandparents and she had jars upon jars of buttons and would explain to me where they came from and why they had thread on them or didn't. the browish clear looking one looks to be pressed glass But like I said before they ll look to be old shirt buttons. The reason I think most are mens shirt ones are that girls usually had a little detail not much you have one next tot he pressed glass that has a little carving on it a girls button for sure. Girls did wear simple buttons like the men on their shirts too their every day shirts but fancy shirts had nicer buttons with a little detail on them. AS for why they would be in the floor to many reasons for that a small crack someone spills the jars and they fall in as you said the boards go a differnt direction so highly likely there was a wall near there at one time where people could have had shelves or a small sewing spot in the house. Sure a could shove buttons in a hole. to many ideas to know the answer just have fun with them.

take care sunshine

# Posted By Sunshine's creations | 3/20/08 4:18 AM

How fun! I love hearing about things like that.

# Posted By mo | 3/20/08 6:54 PM

I love the things you find in old houses - in ours, so far, it's been:

a vintage chicken egg incubator
an old nut can filled with vintage p*rn
Overalls from the 40s

I would SQUEE if I found buttons like yours! Maybe we should start tearing up the house!

# Posted By Lisa B-K | 3/21/08 7:41 AM

I have a theory... it could be mice. We had one of the little critters in our
house and he made a habit of storing his little findings inside my
snowboarding boots (which were in a box and I still to this day have no
idea how he was able to get inside).

Just a thought :)

# Posted By Shannon | 4/3/08 9:28 AM

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