A woman was restoring a decades-old piece of furniture when she found a piece of world history hidden inside—and has now ensured it won’t be lost again.
Jennifer, 37, who gave her first name only, runs antique furniture business Saved By Design with her mother, and in the past seven years has come across countless interesting finds through her work, including lost moments from history.
“Finding old newspapers in furniture is actually fairly common in restoration work,” Jen, who lives in Tennessee, told Newsweek. “Over the years, we have come across quite a few that were tucked under cabinet tops, behind drawer panels, or inside dresser cases, where things were repeatedly pushed back and never cleaned out.”
“It was especially common to find them used in chair seating during reupholstery to add extra support,” she added. “Because of that, we have discovered several old papers over the years.”
Now, a relic from the second world war in the form of a newspaper clipping Jen discovered while restoring an old cabinet has gone viral, after she showcased the find to her TikTok account, @savedbydesign.tn, on January 3.
Viewed more than 200,000 times, the video begins with Jen opening up the cabinet, writing: “I always sell the furniture, but I’ll never sell this.”
Inside, hidden right at the back, was an Ohio newspaper from December 10, 1942—where it was announced that 18-year-olds were to register for military service as World War II raged on.
Other headlines inside included a “three-week battle brings victory over Japanese,” “more draftees called Friday,” and on the front page: “Allies mass for vital Africa blow. MacArthur’s United Nations Army captures Gona in New Guinea.”
December 9, 1942, saw the Australians capture Gona from the Japanese in what became known as the Battle of Buna-Gona. The area, on a coastal area of Papua New Guinea, had been occupied by the Japanese since 1941. American troops closed in on Buna in November, and an Australian Brigade moved up to reinforce the United States in mid-December, according to the Australian War Memorial, and Gona was captured by the allies.
The video went on to show Jen carefully saving the newspaper in a frame, which she said had UV-resistant glass and would hang in a dark space to protect the paper.
She told Newsweek that despite having found many newspapers over the years, “this particular one stood out to me because of its connection to World War II and the way that period impacted so many countries and families.”
“We place a high value on honoring veterans whenever possible, and this piece felt meaningful enough to preserve rather than discard. That is why we chose to frame it.”
Her video had a big reaction, racking up more than 11,000 likes, as commenters shared their own stories, one writing: “I have multiple newspapers from the 30s that my grandma was gonna throw away. I didn’t know what to do with them. This is a great idea.”
“The respect and care with [which] you framed the papers (our HISTORY) touched my heart,” another praised, while one revealed: “I had to pause to see if my grandpa’s name was in there as soon as I saw Columbus Ohio. What an amazing find.”
Jen explained to Newsweek: “I came from a background in furniture sales and about seven years ago decided to start my own business so I could work hands-on with antique furniture and be my own boss.
“We’ve been doing this full-time together for seven years now, focusing on restoring, preserving, and selling antique furniture, and it’s been an incredibly rewarding experience.”
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