Plumbers Accidentally Find Hidden Time Capsule Exposing Important Parts of American History

This story is about the accidental discovery of some historical items that turned out to be integral to the constitutional entity called the United States. Let’s walk through the activities involved in the discovery of this buried treasure.

But what is a time capsule? It’s simply a container designed to store some select items. The idea is to protect the objects from the environment so it can be found intact by future generations.

There were many questions about the time capsule and its contents. So, Michael Comeau, the director of the Massachusetts Archives, had to intervene. It was through his help that we could unravel the significance of the discovered items.

However, the Massachusetts time capsule had been stored away since before the 1800s. Individuals that pioneered the course of American independence were involved in leaving this historic memento.

Time capsules are usually designed to contain ephemera of the historical period. After decades or centuries of being stored away, the capsule conveys the history and culture of that era to posterity.

The Massachusetts State House is one you couldn’t miss if you wanted to. Its golden dome is a testament to the heritage that surrounds its existence. The time capsule was found tucked into a cornerstone of the State House. The capsule was planted during the building’s construction over a century ago.

The first time was in 1855, sixty years after the building was constructed. The sitting governor at the time, Winslow Harley, did what anyone would do when the unmarked grave of a notable person was unintentionally stirred—restore it to its resting state.

To protect the content of the time capsule, Governor Harley made a stronger brass box. This was responsible for protecting the content until its rediscovery in 2014.

The time capsule remained undisturbed for 159 years in one of the building’s cornerstones. When it was discovered, no one knew its contents. But they knew they had to extract it with care to avoid damage. So, they decided to get a historical materials expert involved.

The workers informed her about the discovery of the time capsule at the state house. Hatchfield thought it would be another regular day of object examination, documentation, and authentication. However, the unique extraction would take the team several hours.

She then slid underneath the large slab of suspended stone. This gave her space to carefully chisel away at the old and rusty brass box. Seven hours later, the box was lying in Hatchfield’s palm, and onlookers excitedly took pictures.

During the removal, the box had fallen into her hands. Seated right on top, she found a couple of old coins. Hatchfield would later learn that those coins were placed there by Governor Harley during the 1855 reburial. The coins are said to be a good luck charm for the time capsule.

Unboxing the time capsule was a whole different ball game. It took time, and the contents required careful handling. The team didn’t rush, despite everyone being eager to know what the old brass box contained.

Using a set of precision tools, the historian pried open the thick brass box to reveal its content. While it was a job for a specialist, there were quite a number of dignitaries watching the unboxing in Hatchfield’s lab.

The first noticeable item in the box was five pieces of neatly folded newspaper. The newspaper clippings were from the Boston Daily Traveler and Boston Bee. All the articles had been published in the mid-19th century.

Comeau has his fair share of familiarity with historic American antiques. As a result, though very old, he was able to easily identify all the coins in the box. But there was one coin that stood out to him among the 24 pieces found in the capsule.

The pine tree shilling is a coin from 1652, used as a currency in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. This was long before the arrival of emissaries of the King of England in America. By implication, the Massachusetts region had a thriving economy long before independence.

There was also a copper medal with an engraving of George Washington’s face. Finally, there was a paper seal which Comeau was also able to identify. It was the seal of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

While separating and identifying the items in the box, Hatchfield found a silver plate. The plate had inscriptions naming some notable individuals. Hatchfield was kind enough to read the plate’s text aloud to everyone in the room.

“This cornerstone of a building intended for the use of the legislative and executive branches of government of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts was laid by his Excellency Samuel Adams Esquire, governor of the said commonwealth, assisted by the most worshipful Paul Revere, grandmaster, and the right worshipful William Sculley, deputy grandmaster.”

Also, anyone who familiar with freemasonry would understand from the text that the three named individuals were likely members of a Masonic lodge.

Samuel Adams was the governor of the Commonwealth. He thought it necessary to build a state house. Since he was a Freemason, it was only right to invite Paul Revere, the grandmaster of the Masonic Grand Lodge in Massachusetts. Revere would grace the occasion in the company of William Sculley.

According to history experts, Adams and Revere saw the anniversary of independence as a significant milestone. Anticipating the greatness of the nation, they decided to send a message into the future. They did this probably to help unborn generations understand the foundation of American democracy.

He was brought up in Boston in a religiously and politically active family. There are mixed opinions of Adams among political historians. Some have sung his praise for his contribution to uniting the States.

However, he is remembered primarily as having prospered as a silversmith and engraver. So, Revere is most likely responsible for engraving the silver plate in the time capsule.

After thoroughly examining the time capsule’s content, Comeau made some deductions. For example, those three men were at the forefront of American politics. Also, they could tell shambolic times were ahead and decided to send a message into the future.

The likes of Hatchfield and Comeau felt a connection with the objects in the time capsule after the unboxing. To think – the coins, newspapers, and silver plate had been handled by Adams, Revere, and Sculley!

For example, a copper works company was founded by Paul Revere in 1801. Over the years, the company has been passed down to his descendants. To date, the Revere Copper Company is still in operation.

However, the brass box and the items inside are historically symbolic. They are a relic of America’s tumultuous political history.

Being the expert who unboxed the time capsule, she has been interviewed by several news channels. Hatchfield has been commended and showered with praises for her efforts in unearthing the vessel.

He believes that the time capsule is a good reminder of the rich history of America’s democracy. Gavin proceeded to highlight the contributions of Massachusetts to America’s independence and overall history.