SANTA ROSA BEACH — Larry Hilbelink recently stumbled upon a small piece of history while vacationing on the Emerald Coast.
The Wisconsin man said he was walking along the beach last week near his condominium at Gulf Place when he looked down and saw an old motel key at the water line.
“I was looking at it and the condition of it when I realized this was a pretty significant find,” Hilbelink said. “This thing could have traveled 25 miles from where I found it.”
The plastic fob held up in the salt water better than the key, which was corroded and only partially intact.
The plastic fob features the name of The Ambassador motel, its address at 15618 W. Highway 98 (now Front Beach Road in Panama City Beach) and the room number. It instructs the finder to “Drop in any mailbox. We guarantee postage.”
Hilbelink said the key fascinated him, so he decided to do a little homework. He traveled to Panama City, where he learned the address listed on the key fob dates it back to at least 1972.
Hilbelink is still trying to decide what to do with the more than 40-year-old key.
“In the 1970s people didn’t travel as much, so it’s likely the key was lost in Panama City,” he said. “It leads you to think about how it made its way here. Did a fish grab it? Did a storm carry it here?
“This key has had quite a life.”
Hilbelink is preparing to head back north and probably will take the key with him.
“To think of all the people who walked down the beach and were at the beach that day that passed it, and suddenly I spotted it. I get a kick out of stuff like that. It’s a great story.”
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Angel McCurdy at 850-315-4432 or amccurdy@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @AngelMnwfdn.
