ATLANTA — A misplaced wallet discovered in a historic Atlanta movie theatre was finally returned to the owner’s family — over half a century later.

Chris Escobar, the owner of Plaza and Tara Theatres, said the wallet was first discovered in October while crews were working on restoring the theatre’s bathroom.

“My first question was, ‘How long has this been here?’” Escobar said.

As Escobar examined the wallet’s contents, he realized that it was lost sometime in 1958.

“It blew my mind to think that no one has seen or held this thing in 65 years!” he said. “It felt like I had discovered a time capsule and indeed it was!”

The wallet contained photos, receipts, business cards, credit cards, raffle tickets to win a Chevrolet, a library card and a PTA card.

Escobar immediately got to work to locate the wallet’s owner.

“What I usually do is find the person whose wallet it is on social media if I can,” he said. “But normally, a wallet is found the same day or within a few days, and we reach out right away.

“This has been hiding away for almost seven decades, and ‘Mrs. Culbreth’ [the wallet’s owner] wasn’t on social media.”

Escobar said he learned the wallet’s owner, Floy Culbreth, had died in 2005.

With the help of his wife Nicole, Escobar was able to track down some information about Floy and Roy Culbreth.

According to Escobar, Floy was a founding member of the Atlanta Chapter of United Cerebral Palsy, which established the first daycare center in Atlanta for children with cerebral palsy.

The research also revealed that Floy and Roy’s grandchildren started a charity golf tournament called “The Culbreth Cup” to celebrate the couple’s commitment to giving back. The tournament is held every October and has raised $500,000 since its launch less than 20 years ago.

Soon, Escobar contacted Floy’s grandson, Wes Chamberlin, who was involved with the Culbreth Cup. Chamberlin then connected Escobar with the rest of the family.

When Escobar met with the family, he learned that some items belonged to Thea Chamberlin, Floy and Roy’s daughter, who was six when it was lost. She said her mother was holding the items for her at the time.

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