A glimpse into 1795 Boston through a
time capsule
Rust and decay destroy a lot of history, but Massachusetts officials can thank the
elements for helping uncover the past.
In a damp ceremony of discovery Thursday, snow-covered diggers in Boston recovered
a time capsule whose contents are thought to be almost as old as the nation, and even
older. The time capsule was hidden in a cornerstone of the Massachusetts State House
in 1795.
The original capsule made of cowhide was placed in the cornerstone when the state
moved from its old statehouse to its new one. Patriots Samuel Adams and Paul Revere
took part in the original ceremony.
The contents are thought to include a collection of coins dating from 1652 to 1855. The
newer coins date from the time the cowhide capsule was replaced with a metal box. An
engraved silver plate, newspapers, the seal of the Commonwealth — or state of
Massachusetts, cards and the title page of the Massachusetts Colony Records are also
believed to be inside.
History In A Box
The copper or tin box measures 5-by-7 inches. It was cemented into the cornerstone,
which officials recently decided to remove while trying to prevent water from seeping
into the aging statehouse. A reporter on the scene said Thursday that several dimes
from 1854 fell out of the cornerstone as workers dug their way inside.
“It’s exciting,” Massachusetts Secretary of State Bill Galvin said in an interview. “The
history of Massachusetts is the history of America, in many respects.”
After a day of labor, workers removed the box from the cornerstone, with the help of a
conservator responsible for the preservation of artifacts from the Boston Museum of
Fine Arts. Officials hope to X-ray the box over the weekend and probably open it in the
coming week.
Secrets At The Old State House
Oddly enough, this is not the first time a capsule was recovered from a Massachusetts
statehouse building this year.
Less than half a mile away stands the Old State House, built in 1713 and the oldest
surviving public building in Boston. A time capsule was found there three months ago.
Like the Massachusetts State House, the Old State House has witnessed some
extremely important moments in early American history.
In 1770, just outside the Old State House’s walls, British troops killed five colonists in
what would become known as the Boston Massacre.
Not long after, on July 18, 1776, the first Massachusetts reading of the Declaration of
Independence occurred on the Old State House’s balcony. The public gathered on the
street below.
Unkind New England Winds
Lion and unicorn statues on the building were a symbol of British rule. They were torn
down and destroyed in a fire, said Heather Leet, director of development at the
Bostonian Society, which was founded to restore the Old State House.
The society replaced the statues with wooden ones in 1881.
But the harsh harbor winds whipping down State Street forced officials to replace the
replacements in 1901, with unicorn and a lion statues made of copper, Leet said. Those
statues had to be restored after decades of damage from those same New England
winds, Leet said.
A time capsule hidden in the lion had been forgotten until 2011, when a descendant of
the artist who created it notified the society of its existence. “Copper Box to be Placed in
Head of the King of Beasts,” The Boston Daily Globe announced in a Feb. 24, 1901,
article.
The statues were removed on Sept. 14, and with the help of a fiber-optic camera, which
has a lens mounted at the end of a flexible cord, officials discovered a copper shoeboxsized capsule in the head of the lion.
"A Message To Posterity"
The box contained slightly more modern treasures. There was a wooden piece of the
original lion statue, photographs of public officials and workers, and memorabilia from
Boston-area newspapers. Included was an envelope titled, “A message to posterity from
the daily newspapers at City Hall.” The intriguingly titled envelope was found to be
empty after being carefully steamed open.
“There was nothing in the envelope — no letter for posterity, which we think was a joke
from the city hall journalists,” Leet said.
Found in the box was a hardback book titled “Foreign Relations of the United States,
1896.”
The book is actually part of a U.S. State Department series, still in print. According to
the U.S. Government Printing Office, it is considered to be “the official documentary
historical record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions and significant diplomatic
activity.”
The Bostonian Society took suggestions from the city and beyond, then created a new
Boston-oriented time capsule for 2014. Items included a 2013 Boston Marathon medal,
an Apple iPhone 5, Red Sox tickets and a fragment of a 1713 brick from the building.
It also includes the latest available version of “Foreign Relations of the United States,” a
contribution from the Government Printing Office, Leet said.
The capsule was then placed back into the head of the king of beasts and returned to
the top of the Old State House on Nov. 23, to await its next encounter with history.
Possible Response Questions:
Why is this an exciting discovery for our county? What makes it exciting?
Are you surprised that they seem to have played a joke on us? Why or Why not?
If you were to create a time-capsule, what would go in it to show someone what 2014 is all about?