30 Year-Old Hamm’s Beer Found In Library Walls In Walla Walla!

When I got out of college, I worked construction for several years, on the commercial side mostly. My first job was the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose California. All 20 stories of it.

I worked metal framing (metal studs instead of wooden ones for commerical use) and hung sheetrock. After working 8 hours a day doing repititive tasks, you break the mundane by drawing pictures on the INSIDE of the walls. It happened all the time.

Whatever our "inspiration", we would share it. Most of the messages can't be shared here, but what I can tell you is we not only left messages, we sometimes left items inside the walls. While they may strike you as strange, but it's more usual than you think.

The Columns of the Fresno Air Terminal

For example, at the Fresno Air Terminal in Fresno, there are several floor to ceiling columns that are about 100 ft tall. I built those bad boys. Inside two of those columns, you will find two full bottles of Crystal Pepsi (you may have to Google that) and a pack of Twinkies. Why? Cause that was what was in my lunch that day.

One of the many items left in the walls of home - Valium

Unless they have been removed recently, they are still there in those airport walls. Hundreds of Thousands of people have passed by those hidden items in the airport walls, yet no one but me and my Co-worker know they are there - until now.

At another job, one of our co-workers son was born. His Father was so proud, inside the walls at Stanford University are the the name, date and time of his son's birth. He also documented his weight and height at the time of birth. 

Found in the Walla Walla Library / Photo Coourtesy of Walla Walla Libary

You can see more here about items left in walls being a thing here.

So I was not surprised to hear about the Library of Washington in Walla Walla, found a four cans of Hamms Beer and Godzilla Gum inside thier walls during renovation.

Funny? Yes. Surprising? No. How did it get there? There have been worse items found in homes left by workers over the years.

A friend of mine was doing some renovation a few years ago on his 60 year old home. He ripped out a wall and found some old tools and toolbelt just sitting there. Dust ridden and coiled up just like they were left - untouched. I am sure someone was looking for their tools back in the day.

So next time you are at an airport, school or large building, know there may be items and messages scrawled in the inside of the walls that no one may ever see. But know, they are there.

All My Best,

The JimShow