NATCHEZ &045; Renovations designed to make the antebellum house Rosalie more comfortable and safe have also led to finds that could lend clues to the way of life of the house’s original owners.

Workers for Thorpe Sheet Metal are rewiring the house for the first time in more than 70 years due to the frequency of electrical shorts and are also adding central air to its second floor.

That complicated task involves taking up floorboards and beams in the house’s attic &045; which is where, on Friday morning, Thorpe contractor Earl Smith found the 1836 checkbook of the house’s original owner, Peter Little.

Although the checks themselves are missing, the yellowed check stubs remain. &uot;It’s an important document in Rosalie’s history and in Natchez’s history,&uot; said house Manager Cheryl Branyan. &uot;It gives us a better idea of what his daily expenses were.&uot;

In addition to the checks, which were from the Agricultural Bank of the State of Mississippi, workers found a tattered doll with Chinese characters on it, as well as a late 1800s box that once contained cotton cord.

Those artifacts will be dated by experts and, along with the checkbook, will be placed in display cases for tourists to view.

But the renovation itself is an exciting as the discovery of the artifacts themselves, Branyan said.

The house dates back to the 1820s and was purchased by the its current owners, the Daughters of the American Revolution, 65 years ago.

Electrical wiring in the house dates back to the 1930s and, in recent years, electrical shorts have become more common, making rewiring necessary for safety.

That hasn’t always been an easy task. In addition to burrowing under attic floors, workers on Friday had to rewire and re-hang a chandelier in what was once the children’s bedroom.

Other challenges remain. In the house’s first floor rooms, a remote control lighting system will have to be installed so workers will not have to dig trenches into the plaster walls.

The renovations, which started in January, should be finished by Spring Pilgrimage, Branyan said. Meanwhile, the house is still open for tours.

&uot;Those who have toured while the work is being done have been very understanding,&uot; she said. &uot;They think it’s interesting.&uot;