On September 21, 1879, May Hollister Woolsey passed away at the age of 12 of viral encephalitis, likely stemming from a mosquito bite. May’s grieving parents, Luther and Mary Woolsey, gathered up May’s childhood belongings, placed them in a trunk, and sealed it in a wall under the staircase of their home at 916 E Street in Downtown Sacramento, California. The trunk was discovered 100 years later when a new owner of the house was doing renovations. The trunk’s contents, over 600 items, offer a rare glimpse of a child’s life in Sacramento during the 1870s. The May Woolsey trunk, in addition to a selection of objects once stored inside it, is on exhibit on the third floor of the Sacramento History Museum. In this video, Channey discussed the trunk our History Mystery school program, and a new book coming soon to our museum store. #SacHistoryMuseum #onthisday #museumtok #sacramento #learnontiktok