A local small business owner recently uncovered a piece of Beaufort County history during rehab of the building she recently purchased that will house her business.

Rachel Midgetter, owner and operator of Rachel K’s Bakery in downtown Washington, uncovered a sign last Friday behind a piece of stained glass at the top of the building that will house the bakery, she said. The building, the town’s Old City Hall, was purchased by Midgette after the Washington City Council put it up for sale last year. Midgette was looking for a place to relocate her business, and after researching the viability of it being housed in the Old Town Hall building, she purchased the building, which has since been undergoing renovations, Midgette said.

Midgette said she and her family, who is helping with the renovations, had been trying to decide what to do with the half-moon shaped stained glass that covered the sign.

“I’ve been prodding and pecking and deciding what to do with it, and I decided to take the whole piece out,” Midgette said. “As I took the piece out, I realized it was the original builder, J.L. Gadner Builder 1884. The only thing we could figure is it was never intended to be seen. It was like his (the builder) signature. I don’t recognize that as a common name around here, but maybe it was back in that time period.”

So far, Midgette has conducted some brief research in the attempt to find record of the builder or the name with no luck, she said. However, Midgette plans to cover the sign in glass and let it be seen, and as for the stained glass, she wants to restore it have it on display in the bakery, in some fashion, she said.

“I didn’t find anything about him or his ties to this area,” Midgette said. “It’s a beautiful piece of stained glass. I know that if we can keep in inside the bakery, it will keep it out of the weather, and I think the signature will be much more interesting than the stained glass up there. I think it’s a neat feature of the building now, so hopefully, someone will see it and tell us the history of this person.”

Midgette said she will continue rehab of the building through the first of the year and hopes to open the bakery by the end of January. The bakery will be open Monday through Saturday, from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., serving breakfast and lunch. It will feature sandwiches, pastries, artisan breads and coffee, Midgette said.

Rachel K’s Bakery is located at 126 North Market St. in downtown Washington.