Jake Kilroy and his triplet brothers, Max and Jimmy, have been passionate about Natick history – and sleuthing for long-forgotten buried treasures in particular – since they were, well, old enough to wield a metal detector and a couple of garden spades. According to Jake, “Our collective interest in history started when we were very young. I once found a piece of broken sewer pipe, and although it wasn’t anything special, just knowing that it was really old kind of astounded me as a little kid.” Max added that when he or his brothers unearth some personal artifact, like a piece of jewelry or a plaque with somebody’s name on it (as they did recently), he feels a certain thrill. “It’s cool to think about who might have owned that item and the history behind it. That really gets me.”
All three boys say that imagining that the artifacts they find belonged to real people inspires them to do research and find out more about them. Jimmy especially appreciates the craftsmanship that went into making everyday objects in the days before mechanization and mass production. “People were just trying to scratch out a living, so they spent more time crafting things by hand.”
The Kilroy brothers live in South Natick near the Charles River and have recently graduated from Natick High School. “There’s some pretty cool history all around us,” says Jake. “We once found a 1752 British halfpenny in our backyard. We had searched our property probably twenty times before we came across it. We keep finding new spots to look.”
“When I was younger, I felt that history was behind us, that it was cleared and it went out with the trash,” says Max, but “you can find incredibly personal items if you look for those old dump sites. It really gives you a feel for what it was like back then.” Jimmy adds, “I believe that future generations will someday find what we’ve thrown out and wonder about us!”
The brothers have varying plans for the future, from attending college, taking a gap year, or pursuing a career in the trades, but all three say that local archaeology will always be a hobby. “Maybe someday I’ll even turn metal-detecting into a job,” muses Jimmy. “There’s a lot of history to be found everywhere,” adds Jake. “It just depends on where you look for it. You don’t even need a trained eye. It’s quite obvious sometimes. If you come across a sign of the past there is likely more to be discovered.” As Max puts it, “If you are interested in history, you’re never too old and you’re never too young to get into looking for historical artifacts and learning about them.” “I agree,” says Jake. “History is all around us just waiting to be found.”
The Kilroy brothers have an extensive collection of treasured artifacts which they have gathered over the years, but Jake has pulled out twenty or so favorites that he feels give a sense of the everyday life of our ancestors, who, he believes, were not all that different from us. He has lovingly photographed every item and written a description of each to accompany the photos.
The Natick Historical Society is grateful to Jake, Max, and Jimmy for the time and effort that they have put into creating this fascinating – and very personal – online exhibit. Click here to view their online exhibit hosted on our website.
By: Michael Pojman
