A time capsule discovered at the Massachusetts Statehouse dates back to 1795 and was probably placed there by Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, and
others of the time period, The Associated Press reported.
Adams was governor of the state in 1795 when the capital building was first built, and the AP said it’s believed the capsule was put in the building’s cornerstone. It was originally made of cowhide, but the contents were moved to a copper box in the mid-1800s.
The capsule, which was being carefully removed by a museum conservator, will be taken to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, where it will be X-rayed. It will be
opened next week, according to the Boston Globe.
It’s expected to contain old newspapers and coins, among other items. Reporters observing the excavation saw four coins fall out as the stone was chipped away by museum conservator Pam Hitchfield, the Globe noted. She also showed reporters a cell phone photo of a green box that she took from underneath, where she was working to remove it.
The AP reported that another time capsule, this one from the 1900s, was discovered in Massachusetts in the Old State House. It had been forgotten over time, until it "turned up in a lion statue atop the building," the news agency reported. Inside were newspaper clippings, a letter from journalists, and a book.
"We have a list going back to 1795. We know it's coins and Paul Revere plates, but what condition they are in is the question. They were good when Gov. Garner presided over that ceremony then, but that was
long time ago," Secretary of State William Galvin told WCVB.
Galvin said he's hopeful the contents will be in good shape, and the condition of the plaster surrounding the time capsule indicate that should be.
"We know in August 1855 it was humid, and they washed the contents in acid. That's concerning. We don't know what's deteriorated since that time," Galvin told WCVB.
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