NORTHERN SHORES, Mich. — What do people do with old bowling balls? One homeowner discovered what the previous property owner did with his or hers — they buried them.
But David Olson didn’t find just one or two bowling balls buried on his property in Norton Shores, Michigan.
He was working on knocking down some back steps at his home, the Detroit Free Press reported.
A single black sphere buried behind cinder blocks caught his eye.
“That was one of the bowling balls. I didn’t think a whole lot of it. I was kind of assuming maybe there were just a couple in there just to fill in. The deeper I got into it the more I realized it was just basically an entire gridwork of them making up the weight in there,” Olson told the Free Press.
When Olson was done digging, he uncovered 160 Brunswick bowling balls that had been buried, the Free Press reported.
Many of the bowling balls didn’t have holes drilled for finger holes or weren’t polished, Michigan Live reported.
Some did have the Brunswick logo and had models like ‘Black Beauty” or “Starline” engraved on them.
They also had a spiral cut into them, the Free Press reported.
Olson thinks a previous owner who built the home in 1959 got a break on the balls from the Brunswick factory to fill a void in the yard.
He also found a grid of bowling balls under his patio.
“I’m assuming underneath the whole thing is full of those,” Olson told Michigan Live.
Brunswick Bowling Products built a factory in 1906 and was in production for a century before moving the plant to Mexico, Michigan Live reported.
At one point, Brunswick had 11 factories that made not only balls but also toilet seats and truck tires, along with pins and other bowling equipment.
Kirk Bunke, site manager of the Muskegon Heritage Museum, said employees were able to take products that weren’t good enough to be sold and use them at home, Michigan Live reported.
Olson has more than just his discovery as a connection to Brunswick, as his grandfather worked for the company for about 50 years.
Olson is planning to donate some of the bowling balls but will use the majority for decorative edging around his yard, Michigan Live.
His stepfather will also be using a few to make custom furniture legs, the Free Press reported.
“Wear it loud and proud,” Olson told Michigan Live. “Have the Brunswick symbols sitting up above ground so people can see them. If anything, it adds kind of a unique characteristic to the landscape.”