Megan Udinski, FISM News
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An 1887 time capsule was discovered under a statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee in Virginia that was removed in September.
Due to racial unrest in the summer of 2020, city officials in Richmond were forced to close access to the political figure and removed him completely in September on the authority of the democratic governor, Ralph Northam. On December 17, workers were maneuvering to remove the pedestal which the statue stood atop when they discovered the hidden time capsule.
The time capsule, considered an artifact, has been handled cautiously by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources team led by conservator Chelsea Blake. You can watch this laborious work along with discovering what they found inside.
Blake commented, “It appears that the lid was placed on and then there was lead rolled over it to hold it in place, and then water got in there and there was corrosion, so it’s becoming a little more difficult than it would have been to get on.”
Once open, the box revealed three books, an envelope and some coins. The contents were very wet, so it will take the team some time to catalog and clean the items. It is clear that one of the books is the Farmers’ Almanac from 1875.
According to the governor’s office, when the statue was removed, they knew there was the potential to find a time capsule. Records show that “37 Richmond residents, organizations, and businesses contributed about 60 objects to the capsule, many of which are believed to be related to the Confederacy.”
When the statue was being removed in September, Gov. Northam stated, “This monument and its time capsule reflected Virginia in 1890 — and it’s time to remove both, so that our public spaces better reflect who we are as a people in 2021. The past 18 months have seen historic change, from the pandemic to protests for racial justice that led to the removal of these monuments to a lost cause. It is fitting that we replace the old time capsule with a new one that tells that story.”
One rumored object the time capsule may contain would be a rare photo of the late President Lincoln in his coffin after his assassination.
Perhaps, due to the size of the box uncovered, there may be another time capsule from that era that is still hidden waiting to be discovered.