Surprise and disappointment: a second American time capsule reveals its secrets

The time capsule was likely the one described in a newspaper article from 1887. The wet copper box left at the base at the time contained a special bullet, a button with the Virginia state flag and other memorabilia around it. American Civil War. It also contained a small Bible, a Masonic book, and an 1881 guide to Richmond.

Not a rare picture

The researchers also found in the box a paper drawing of a woman hanging in mourning on Lincoln’s coffin. It is a copy of a photograph that appeared in the US weekly Harper’s Weekly in 1865. But a rare photograph of Lincoln, which is not even known if it actually existed, is missing. President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865.

“It’s in much better condition than we expected,” curator Kate Ridgway said of the contents upon opening the box. “We thought it was all going to be soup and not soup, so that’s cool.”

Controversial character

The statue of General Robert E. Lee was removed earlier this year because he has become a controversial figure in American history in certain circles. During the American Civil War (1861-1865), the general fought on the side of the Confederacy, southern states aspiring to independence and the maintenance of slavery.

Last week, construction workers already removing the base found a chest containing, among other things, a time capsule from 1875.