JEFFERSON CITY – Items placed in a time capsule 100 years ago have been unveiled for the first time, the Missouri Office of Administration announced today. The time capsule, which was removed from the cornerstone of the Missouri State Capitol last week, has been carefully opened at the Missouri State Public Health Laboratory with conservators present to remove the contents from the box and ensure safe handling. The items will receive further conservation treatment in the Missouri State Archives lab.
“One hundred years ago Missouri leaders carefully selected these items to represent the status of state government and political and social culture in 1915,” said Office of Administration Commissioner Doug Nelson. “We take our responsibility to protect and preserve the time capsule and its contents very seriously, and will move forward with the utmost caution to care for the objects so they can be viewed and appreciated by generations to come.”
Some of the items recovered from the 1915 time capsule include:
- Newspapers dated June 23 and 24, 1915 (publications included the Jefferson City Post, Kansas City Star, St. Louis Times, Democrat-Tribune, as well as a German paper, the Westliche Post, among others).
- Items relating to the construction of the Missouri State Capitol such as the contract and specifications for the new Capitol building, contract with the architects of the Capitol, and photographs of the Capitol ground breaking.
- Various state government documents including the Constitution of Missouri, Secretary of State Manuals, House & Senate journals from the 46th General Assembly and state department reports.
Video footage (HD and SD) and photographs from the opening of the time capsule are now available online at mo.gov/timecapsule. A public display of the items is being developed and will eventually be housed in the Missouri State Museum at the State Capitol building.
On July 3, a new Missouri time capsule will be dedicated to honor the 100th anniversary of the Missouri State Capitol cornerstone, and Gov. Jay Nixon has invited Missourians to weigh in on what should be included. The new time capsule will include items representing Missouri government, technology, sports and culture and remain sealed until the 200th anniversary of the Capitol in 2115. Missourians can submit their ideas online at mo.gov/timecapsule or on Twitter using #MoTimeCapsule until midnight on June 20. The individuals or individuals whose submissions are chosen will be recognized with their names placed with the items in the time capsule.*
*Note: If an item is nominated by more than one person, the individual who nominated the item first will have his or her name placed in the time capsule.