A time capsule was discovered at a statehouse in Massachusetts in Boston on Thursday. Careful examination and scientific scrutiny of the said item revealed that it was buried in 1795 by two patriots: the radical war hero Paul Revere and one of the most admired former governor of Massachusetts, Samuel Adams.
The discovery was made by the workers who were then tasked to repair a water leak at the building earlier this week. While digging for the source of the problem, the workmen stumbled upon the time capsule set in one of the foundations of the Massachusetts State House.
To determine the relevance and value of the antique item, Pamela Hatchfield, a conservator at the Museum of Fine Arts, was asked to check on the time capsule. Armed with her knowledge on such items, she directed the excavation process to successfully extract the time capsule from underneath the foundation without causing the structure to collapse. The entire excavation process took Hatchfield and numerous workers approximately seven hours to complete.
The item extricated from the site was a green box-shaped time capsule.
"I feel happy and relieved. And excited. And really interested to see what's in this box," Hatchfield said in a press briefing following the completion of the excavation process for the time capsule.
Historical documents revealed that William Scollay, a developer and military officer hailing from Boston, as well as the inspiration for the infamous Scollay Square, joined both Revere and Adams in burying the time capsule in 1795. It is believed that the antique item was set underneath the foundation during a ceremony that began in downtown Boston and moved towards the State House.
The time capsule was said to have been first unearthed in 1855, when emergency repairs were conducted in the state house. It was buried again following the maintenance routine, and was not seen again prior to its rediscovery this week.
"What we know the box contains, based on the notes that we have, is a Paul Revere plate, papers and coins from the 1600s," shared Secretary of State William Galvin on Friday. "It may contain other stuff, too; we don't know that yet," he added.
Galvin also stated that the time capsule will be submitted for X-ray over the weekend to determine its contents and to establish whether these could be examined without causing damage to the condition of the antique item.
"Hopefully there will be no damage and we will be able to observe the artifacts that trace us back to the history not only just of this building, but of our Commonwealth and our country," Galvin said.
The box will soon be buried again after its examination. If its condition will permit, Galvin shared that the officials intend to add items from our era into the time capsule.
"Ultimately it will be put back in the box and ultimately back in the stone," the state official said.
