Found among the tons of debris and detritus from Hurricane Sandy, Atlantic Highlands, N.J., residents Katheleen Chaney and her son Patrick Fowler came across a packet of love letters that had washed ashore, having survived the storm relatively intact.
Chaney is now attempting to match the treasures with their rightful owner.
Atlantic Highlands, near Sandy Hook, was "destroyed," said Chaney, but her family was lucky. They lost power for about a week, but their house sustained only minimal damage.
"We can't complain," she said.
In the course of inspecting the devestation and sifting through debris along the Hudson Trail, Fowler found a pack of letters tied up in a pink ribbon. He took them home and dried them by the fireplace. Chaney said she and her family spent nights reading the letters that are still legible after being soaked by the Atlantic Ocean.
She said the letters are beautiful, dating from between 1942 and 1947, and written by a Ms. Dorothy Fallon of Rumson, N.J., to a Mr. Lynn Farnham of Vermont, whom she was preparing to marry.
Chaney's attempts to locate family members of either the sender or the recipient have been unsuccessful. Until she makes a connection, she is keeping the letters safe and dry.
Support provided by