Kirkwood House Room Key Holder

[RJNorton]

Many thanks to forum member Dan Craig for sending this image. Friends of Dan's were relic hunting/metal detecting, and they found a Kirkwood House key holder. Too bad it's not for room 126 - George Atzerodt's room!

[BettyO]

WOW! What a WONDERFUL find!! Yes....too bad it wasn't George's room....Now, if we can only find the key to Powell's room at the Herndon House!


I didn't notice that it said "Kirkwood House!" I'm getting blind as a bat in my old age.....

[NJREB1863]

Very cool. I love dug relics. Proves they were really "there".

[LincolnMan]

That is amazing. Wonder if was found near the hotel area.

[RJNorton]

Bill, Dan told me his friends have discovered what they feel is a great location for relic hunting/metal detecting. They are keeping the location to themselves. I am not even sure Dan knows, and if he does, he sure didn't tell me.

[Jim Garrett]

It's an interesting find and certainly has the patina. Kirkwood house has been elusive. There seems to be just the 1 engraving of the building, no photographs have turned up. Anything associated with the Kirkwood House is a gem.

[DanielC]

That is amazing. Wonder if was found near the hotel area.

Hi Bill,

I can tell you that it was found in one of the many northern camps in Va.( Where most of their relics are found.) I found out real quick when a relic hunter finds a sweet spot, they won't even let family know about it until their confident its been cleaned out.

[LincolnMan]

Dan: thanks for the further interesting input. What a great find.

[Dave Taylor]

A gentlemen emailed me asking if we know what a key from the Kirkwood house looks like. Does anyone know if there are any identified keys from the Kirkwood?

[L Verge]

I know of none, but I would surmise that they looked like most house keys and room keys of that day -- about three inches long with a large opening on one end to attach to a ring and a small (one inch) notched insert on the other end? I grew up with these in our old house. I will say, it wasn't hard to find the front door key with ones that size.

P.S. Re: an earlier posting - doesn't the Kirkwood show up in a photograph? I think Surratt House has that photo and both Joan Chaconas and Mike Kauffman identified it as the Kirkwood House.