The workers were tearing out a thick hedge of azaleas behind the house, located in Ortega, Fla. when they unearthed an 80-pound, cast-iron historical marker, leaning against the wall of a garage.

After getting the item back to his warehouse, Soldner cleaned it up with a wire brush and was able to read the inscription:

?EUR??,,????'??To the south lies the first great river in North America to be discovered by white men. Called by the Indians Illaka; by the French Riviere de May; by the Spanish San Mateo and San Juan; and by the English St. Johns. Holding from the beginning a prominent place in Europe?EUR??,,????'???s American adventure, it has a recorded history of over 400 years. Claimed under the sovereignty of more nations than any other great river in the world, it has seen unfurled the flags of Spain, France, England, the Republic of Florida, the Southern Confederacy and the United States. Jacksonville Historical Society 1930.?EUR??,,????'??

The owner of the property where the marker was found had no memory of its source and no interest in keeping it, Soldner said, and has since died.

In 1930, the Jacksonville Historical Society was a new organization, having been officially incorporated on Nov. 27, 1929. According to an account on the historical society?EUR??,,????'???s Web site, early members began to collect historical memorabilia, books, papers and photographs, which went into archives now housed at Jacksonville University. Although there is no mention of the marker on the Web site, based on the inscription, Soldner says he intends to return the 77-year-old marker to the society.

Source: Jacksonville.com