Here is a photograph of the west side of the Browne school taken July 27, 1977.
The coal shed was removed and replaced with a family room seen to the left of the main structure.
Here is a shot of the north side of the Browne school, attached to the recently added family and utility room.
In 1977 the Finnestad family razed the coal shed in order to build a new structure that would replace the utility room and add a family room.
Above the ceiling panels, a black door panel to the furnace which heated the Browne school was found. The door panel was similar to this one though it appeared less ornate.
Another item left in the rafters was a damaged piece of wall art in yellowish black and white depicting Jesus and a lamb. A corner had been missing either by the process of discarding it or by hungry mice.
Unfortunately I do not have photos of either of these, though it is interesting what items were discarded on the Browne school property only to be found decades later.
By 1975, color had arrived in America. This photo of the Browne school was taken with a Polaroid camera by an unprofessional photographer.
The attached structure to the Browne school in the foreground is a patio built in the 1960's by the Finnestad family. The building behind the pump house is a 3 car garage built by the family in 1975.
Four years after the last aerial photograph of the Browne school, in 1975 a different angle provided a southeastern view of the property.
Other buildings not highlighted include: a dog house to the left of the garage, the garage, the shed and the 3 car garage.
The 1937 Liberty coin was found near the left window at the rear of the three car garage on the right side of the photo near the cornfield.
In 1975 the Finnestad family built a 3 car garage. Defying child labor laws, the Finnestad children were put to work. During the construction, while digging the foundation for the building another piece of the past from the Browne school was discovered. Approximately 3 feet below the surface a shiny object appeared. As the digging continued a coin was retrieved from the soil, a 1937 Liberty 50 cent piece.
Based upon inflation, the coin's value would be $8.99 in 2021. However as it is a somewhat rare coin, the approximate value is much greater.
The coin was found on the backside of the building, possibly where the playground equipment was located while the Browne school was in operation. If any student of the Browne school lost their half dollar, please leave a message in the comments. Storage fees have been accumulating.
About 10 years after the Finnestad family had been living at the Browne school, Donna Finnestad, co-owner of the property removed a vent that provided access underneath the structure. Just inside was a crank used to start a car or truck.
The crank looked similar to those below:
I do not know what happened to the crank and why it had been placed underneath the Browne school. It is unknown whether the owner ever got their vehicle started following the loss of their crank.
On October 9, 1972, a quit-claim deed was signed by Margaret Cummins releasing the owners of the Browne School, Donna and Gene Finnestad from the loan they had acquired in 1965 to purchase the property.
Trivia: The Finnestad purchase of the Browne school was 100 years after the property was originally sold to The School Trustees of the town of Milan, County of DeKalb and State of Illinois in 1865.
In the early 1970's, the property owner of the Browne school, Kenneth Finnestad built a Heathkit metal detector, similar to the one shown below.
The desk parts were found near the concrete on the right side of this photo which appears to show a wagon or piece of garden equipment.
