Essential basement repairs led to the unveiling of a priceless piece of history on Tuesday: a time capsule dating back to the infancy of the United States.
Officials at the Massachusetts State House discovered water marks in the basement of the historic building and identified the cornerstone as a source of concern and decided to remove it. The cornerstone contained a small, metal box filled with relics, placed in 1795 under the supervision of Massachusetts governor, Samuel Adams.
When the cornerstone was placed, the Revolutionary War had only been over for 12 years, the Constitution was only 8 years old, and George Washington was halfway through his second term as president. There were 15 states in the Union. This was the 20th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Three men installed the cornerstone on July 4: Sam Adams, Paul Revere, and William Scollay. A brewer, orator, and revolutionary, Adams had retired from Congress and was serving his second year as governor of Massachusetts. Revere, famous for his midnight ride to warn the Lexington Minutemen of the British Invasion, was a silversmith by trade, a supplier of gunpowder, cannons, and currency, and certainly a candidate for engraver of the commemorative plate inside. Colonel Scollay, the fire-ward of the city of Boston, rounded out the trio.
Sixty years later, in 1855, emergency repairs on the building’s foundation led to the first retrieval of the time capsule. Contents were removed, catalogued, and cleaned, then placed back in the time capsule for the next generation. Coins and newspapers of the day were added to the time capsule to commemorate the occasion.
159 years later, and using delicate tools such as a porcupine quill, conservationists at the Museum of Fine Art removed the lid from the box for a second time. Inside was a treasure trove of historical artifacts: 23 coins from the 18th century back as far as 1652, 5 folded newspapers from 1855, a copper medal depicting George Washington, and an engraved silver commemorative plate, naming the three statesmen and establishing the significance of the date.
The items will be cleaned, photographed and placed on display for a time at the Boston Museum of Fine Art. They will ultimately be returned to a newly repaired cornerstone with additions from our own era. What contribution our generation will make to this historic time capsule remain to be seen, but Governor Patrick has indicated his intent to do so.