They found it! This is likely the time capsule everyone was looking for. Conservators studying it—stay tuned for next steps! (Won’t be opened today) pic.twitter.com/3lWrsPGZd2
— Governor Ralph Northam (@GovernorVA) December 27, 2021
In the American city of Richmond, Virginia, at the end of December, builders discovered a new — already the second – time capsule hidden in the pedestal of the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
The fact that “greetings from the past” is hidden under the monument was known from historical documents stored in the local library. After dismantling the statue in September, workers found a metal box at its base, which experts carefully opened on December 23. However, what they saw put scientists at a dead end — the box itself was not copper, but lead, and instead of hundreds of artifacts left by residents of the city in 1887, they found only three books, coins and an envelope with unknown documents.
After opening the capsule, experts suggested that it was not left by the townspeople, but by the builders who installed the monument. And the real capsule can still be hidden inside the pedestal.
Immediately after that, new search operations began, coinciding with the dismantling of the last foundation of the monument. And the scientists were right. On Monday, December 27, the builders found the same copper box, which was mentioned in historical records. It was at ground level 1.2 meters deeper than the previous find.
Experts are in no hurry to open a new time capsule. To begin with, they need to carefully examine the box and decide how best to do it and in what condition the things inside may be. It is believed that 134-year-old artifacts, Confederate memorabilia and even a rare photograph of Abraham Lincoln are hidden in the capsule.
The box was covered with bubble wrap and sent for further study.
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Ekaterina Gura