This is a story about a mysterious box that lay neglected next to a fence of a Staten Island home, in New York, for seven years, until the homeowner finally discovered it. Matthew Emanuel and his family noticed the rusty old box on their property, but didn’t pay much attention to it. They moved into Todt Hill and lived there for four years before they excavated the mysterious box from the inaccessible area of the yard that it had been peeking out from.
A series of coincidental events revealed the secret past of the mystery box. Like a pirate’s tale waiting to be told, the box concealed a half-buried treasure. After some clever sleuthing, the homeowner could hardly believe what sat exposed to the elements for years. You won’t believe it either!
The Emanuel Family in Their Todt Hill, Staten Island Home
When the Emanuel family moved into Todt Hill, one of the most exclusive neighborhoods of Staten Island, they took note of the metal structure in the yard, but assumed it was just an innocuous box. They could see it sitting out on the edge of the property from the sofa in the family room. Mr. Emanuel, who was working as a financial adviser for Bernard Herold & Company at the time, said they could also see it from the deck.
Little did they know it contained a long-held secret. And, much to their surprise, Mr. Emanuel would soon be sharing the story with the whole world.
