SYLVANIA, Ohio — Can you think of the oldest item you've ever held in your hands?
20, 30, 50 years old?
Well, how about something nearly 400 MILLION years old?
In our constant search for local history, we traveled to an inconspicuous former quarry off of Centennial Road in Sylvania, where ancient history is right at your feet.
"The more you look into the stone, particularly the shale, you start to see lots of brachiopods," said Rajiv Mahajan, visiting from Chicago with his family.
Opened in 2000, the Olander Park System's Fossil Park offers kids and adults a chance to uncover and identify fossils about 375 million years old from the Devonian Era.
Back then, this area was actually an ancient ocean with active coral reefs.
With rock piles provided by nearby Hanson Aggregate Midwest's quarry, the completely free activity gives you a chance to see, hold and even take home these ancient ocean relics.
"The problem with the museum-grade specimens, they're perfect, they have to be museum grade. Here you can take one that's half broken and it's still a nice fossil and keep it yourself," said Fossil Park resident expert Thomas A. Marok.
A rule of thumb for finding a fossil at Fossil Park is if it's black or brown and on the ground, it's probably a fossil.
Marok, a volunteer, has been helping kids identify their finds since it opened.
Along with letting kids do what they do best -- getting their hands dirty -- uncovering these pyrite and calcite crystal fossils is also teaching these kids about our region's past.
"It's something the kids love to do. He was just having fun running around and digging and finding new things, but it also teaches children how to pay attention to detail," said Mahajan.
Though the 5-acre digging area can't be expanded upon, Olander Parks System does have plans to add and improve Fossil Park in the near future.
"We do plan to put in a new entrance ramp and a new playground will be coming in the next couple of years, as well as a picnic shelter to have gatherings," said Jenny Barry, Community Services Manager at Olander Park System.