‘Lost’ Time Capsule From 1887 Might Have Been Found In Confederate Statue’s Base
Image via Katherine Welles / Shutterstock.com
Althought it was announced in July that the Confederate statue of Robert E. Lee would be removed, it was only later in the year that it was decided for the pedestal to be melted down and turned into new art as well.
While in the process of doing so with the year’s end deadline of the sculpture’s takedown rapidly approaching, the crew now believes that it has discovered a time capsule from 1887 embedded in the stone block.
“Workers noticed something that looked ‘different’ this morning, so they chiseled down with a hammer and found the top of what appears to be the time capsule—located inside a large block, under one inch of cement,” writes the news release from the office of the Governor Ralph S. Northam of Virginia.
According to the statement, the capsule was located around 20 feet above ground, in the tower, not the pedestal’s base. Its spot—eight feet from the outside of the granite, and around a foot from the edge of the core—appears to have ensured it remaining “largely undamaged.”
News outlet abc27 reports that historians have long believed there had been such a capsule in the pedestal placed there in the October of 1887. However, previous efforts to locate it have been suspended.
“The stone must be removed and lowered to the ground before historic preservation teams are able to confirm whether this is, in fact, the actual time capsule,” Friday’s news release details.
It was also stated that if it was verified, there’d be plans in place to transport it to the Department of Historic Resources to be opened and preserved accordingly. While there doesn’t appear to be an official confirmation yet, an update on Twitter shows that the capsule was prepared for transportation.
Preparing to be transported to the Department of Historic Resources. https://t.co/iHwie5aREP pic.twitter.com/ffw0JoxA1Q
— Governor Ralph Northam (@GovernorVA) December 17, 2021
Records from the Library of Virginia state that the time capsule’s contents were contributed by residents, businesses, and organizations of Richmond. It’s believed that many of them will be relating to the Confederacy, given what the statue represents.
Crews may have located the 1887 Confederate time capsule on Monument Avenue in Richmond. The Commonwealth’s historic preservation team is examining the site now. Everyone’s working hard! pic.twitter.com/957JFXdwdb
— Governor Ralph Northam (@GovernorVA) December 17, 2021
[via abc27, image via Katherine Welles / Shutterstock.com]
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