US: 113-year-old time capsule opened in Boston

[webfact]

113-Year-Old Time Capsule Opened in Boston

MOSCOW, October 16 (RIA Novosti) - A 113-year-old time capsule found outside Boston’s Old State House was opened and its contents were revealed by archivists of the Bostonian Society, AP reports.

The shoebox-sized capsule contained letters, newspaper clippings, photographs, political campaign buttons and a presidential message on foreign policy. All the found items will go on public display in the near future.

"You open the box, and it's like they put the stuff in there yesterday. Everything looks like it was just written yesterday," Elizabeth Leet, spokeswoman for the Bostonian Society, told the Boston Globe.

The capsule was found inside a lion statue that has long stood guard atop the Old State House. The box was opened October 9, but the items were not initially removed because of concerns they might be damaged if handled improperly.

The materials were tightly packed inside the container that was sealed to prevent and deterioration and water damage.

A red hardcover book with no visible title surprised the archivists, because it had not been put on a list discovered by an ancestor of a man who worked on the statue, nor was it mentioned in a 1901 newspaper article about the capsule.

When the book was opened, the title was revealed - "Foreign Relations of the United States," followed by the subtitle, "The Annual Message of the President of the United States," transmitted to Congress on Dec. 7, 1896.

Full story: http://en.ria.ru/society/20141016/194148038/113-Year-Old-Time-Capsule-Opened-in-Boston.html

-- RIA NOVOSTI 2014-10-16

[Costas2008]

Moscow is telling the world about a shoe box found in Boston?

I do admire their intelligent services

[webfact]

WASHINGTON POST reported the discovery

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/09/25/bostons-century-old-time-capsule-thought-discovered-in-lions-head/

[SOTIRIOS]

...wonder why they 'withheld the details of some of the content'.....

[Seastallion]

...wonder why they 'withheld the details of some of the content'.....

The mysterious American Foreign Relations turned up at an interesting time.

[kurnell]

Reminds me of opening my old cricket bag after a decade in storage

[loongdavid]

"Foreign Relations of the United States,"

Wonderful to see that someone even back then had a sense of humour and knew how to use an oxymoron.

[kieran2698]

...wonder why they 'withheld the details of some of the content'.....

The mysterious American Foreign Relations turned up at an interesting time.

The only mysterious thing about it is why it was included but not listed, nothing mysterious about it's contents, you can read the book at this link: http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/FRUS/FRUS-idx?id=FRUS.FRUS1896

[IsaanUSA]

Why would they open it? 113 years is not that long ago

[Publicus]

Why would they open it? 113 years is not that long ago

Reports had indicated it was a time capsule which one can reasonably believe contained perishable items created 113 years ago or before that year.

The Bostonian Society which has possession of the container is still assessing how to best open an envelope found in the box.

Weathering the climate there is no picnic as half the population of the first settlers in 1620-21 perished during their first minus 25-degree Celsius 6- month winter besieged by snow ice and gales. Those who survived began the Thanksgiving Day radition but I guess not everyone since was in school the day that was taught.

Beyond basic curiosity It would seem rather obvious even if based only on my first point..

[IsaanUSA]

Yeah, I guess that makes sense. It would be neat if they documented everything, then put it back in a more sturdy container.