Brooklyn couple uncover 1901 coal log tied to family history while restoring an 1880s house

When James and Laureta Gale entered the basement of a run-down 1880s Brooklyn lodging house in 2024, they expected to find damaged walls, dust and old plumbing. Instead, beneath layers of dirt, they found a forgotten piece of history: a handwritten coal delivery schedule from 1901. The discovery had a special meaning for the couple. According to People magazine, James's grandfather had worked as a coal truck driver, bringing fuel from Pennsylvania's Shenandoah Valley to New York City. During that same period, coal was used to heat brownstones and lodging houses across the city's boroughs. James's father was also born in Brooklyn, while his grandmother lived in the area.Laureta recalled the moment the couple realised what was pinned to the basement wall. "When we saw it, it felt surreal," Laureta told People magazine. "It was like uncovering a small piece of the house's story, and somehow a piece of James's family history too." The couple run a small hospitality business called Gale Guesthouses. They bought the neglected 19th-century property in 2024, planning to turn it into their third guesthouse.Structural setbacks and hidden artifactsTurning the abandoned building into a working...