Mr. Martinez was running wire to a back room, working in a doorway beside a hearth. He took down a patch of drywall, revealing an older layer of plaster and wood lathing.
As he cut away, he uncovered a secret compartment hidden next to the chimney. Looking inside, he caught a glimpse of color. He pulled out a tin box embossed with Caribbean scenes and a stack of leather-bound books and legal documents covered with ash.
The find: a treasure trove of historic documents, including papers signed by presidents Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren.
The home at Charlotte and Chesnut Streets, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, was built in 1868 by three former slaves.
Among the historic documents was a land grant showing property in Alabama signed over to Patton by President Andrew Jackson in November 1830, likely for land wrested from Native Americans under the Indian Removal Act signed that same year.
The oldest document found was a 1799 sailor's journal that chronicles a year of travel.
Ledgers from the exclusive Asheville Club, comprised of some of the East Coast's wealthiest men, was also found.
Patton was a Civil War hero who rose to the rank of captain in the Confederate Army and came home to Asheville and built the sprawling family home.
Mr. Patton served as Asheville mayor, Buncombe County commissioner and county tax collector. He died in 1907.
“I’ve worked in a lot of old houses, but I’ve never found anything like this,” the electrician said.
Asheville attorney Jim Siemens bought the historic home last fall and is renovating it for use as a law office.
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