Date Set for Opening of Oldest Time Capsule Discovered in US
The time capsule unearthed in Boston was buried by Samuel Adams.
— -- The oldest time capsule discovered in the country will be opened in two weeks, officials announced today. It was originally placed under a cornerstone of the Boston State House in 1795 by Paul Revere and then-Gov. Samuel Adams.
On Jan. 6, 2015, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and state officials will open the time capsule, revealing the contents for the first time since 1855. That's when its contents were documented and cleaned, officials said. Additional materials were added then to the time capsule, which was then placed in brass and plastered into the underside of the granite cornerstone.
On Dec. 11, the time capsule was removed from the cornerstone, along with miscellaneous coins. The time capsule, which was X-rayed at the MFA on Dec. 14, weighs 10 pounds and measures 5.5 inches by 7.5 inches by 1.5 inches, officials said.
"X-rays revealed what is believed to be a collection of silver and copper coins (dating from 1652 and 1855); an engraved silver plate; a copper medal depicting George Washington; newspapers; the seal of the Commonwealth; cards; and a title page from the Massachusetts Colony Records," the MFA said in a statement today. "These objects were described in the 1855 account of the reburying ceremony."
The museum has scheduled a news conference at 6 p.m. on Jan. 6, authorizing only credentialed media due to "extremely limited space and object sensitivity," the museum said in a statement.