Through the Years: A Time Capsule is Opened
By Donald-Brian Johnson | All photos courtesy of Lisa Pektor
In the little Minnesota town where I grew up, there’s a time capsule. It sits next to the Civil War cannon in the city park. On the concrete slab marking it is a plaque which reads: “Chatfield Centennial 1953—To Be Opened A.D. 2053.”
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When I was in 6th grade, I became fixated on finding out exactly what was in that capsule. There was no “Contents” list, so I started asking around. Although a number of town oldsters remembered the capsule being interred, not a one seemed to remember exactly what was in it. A history of the town? Most likely. Photos? Very probably. But what else? Maybe items which debuted in the brand-new world of 1953? Sure, the capsule was way too small to hold a Corvette, and there was no way that it would hold a copy of the first issue of Playboy. But what about an early transistor radio? A box of Tater Tots, a jar of Cheez Whiz, or a pair of 3-D movie glasses? One guess was as good as another. Even my 6th-grade teacher, who seemed to have been around about as long as the town itself and served as its unofficial historian, was unable to satisfy my youthful curiosity. “Don’t worry yourself about that time capsule,” she said. “Sooner or later, all its secrets will be revealed.”
Well, OK. But back in the 1960s, 2053 sure seemed an awfully long time to wait (it still does). For the lucky folks in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, though, the big day has finally arrived. A time capsule embedded there in 1891, in the cornerstone of the “New Bee Hive,” a local department store, was recently unearthed. After nearly 135 years, its secrets were at long last revealed.
Lisa Pektor, one of those who spearheaded the excavation, has all the details:
The “New Bee Hive” in 1891, as illustrated in the Daily Times
“Jack Stanley, a local Civil War historian, was doing some research on the Lerch family. He found reference to a copper box placed in the cornerstone of the ‘New Bee Hive’ department store in 1891 by the twin daughters of the co-owner, Joseph Rice. Jack then approached my family, as we are the current owners of the building. I enlisted the help of my friend Evan Blose and his father, Randy to assist with finding the location. Randy brought his metal detector, which alerted to the copper signal at the top of the cornerstone. Evan drilled a hole in the wall but missed the box. Jack then drilled a second hole and felt the drill hit something. Jack and I then put our borescopes in the hole, but we couldn’t quite tell if what we hit was copper. My father, Lou then picked up a chisel and took a chunk out of the building (because he is the owner, so why not just go for it!). When he pulled a chunk of the building away, we positively identified that we had located the box.
“At that point, we broke out the tequila and continued to drill to enlarge the opening. Lou and I shared a father-daughter moment and together removed the box from the wall —only to discover that it was soldered shut! Randy and Jack then used some tools to carefully open the bottom of the box. It was packed full of several different local newspapers (one in German), photos, and three letters from those who deposited the box, as well as a list of its contents, plus other pamphlets, advertisements, and local school handbooks.
“Ironically, the box was placed in the cornerstone on August 25, 1891, at about six in the evening, and we found it about six in the evening, just a few days shy of 135 years later! We have since contacted the Historic Bethlehem Museum to help us digitize the findings and to collaborate on a display. We are planning on returning a few items in our own box and putting it back in the cornerstone sometime in 2026, during the 250th celebration of our great nation.”
of the time capsule, and the dated cornerstone from where the capsule was retrieved.
Although the Bee Hive department store is no more, its legacy lives on. The historic property has been fully refurbished, and the original façade carefully restored.
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As “Main Street Commons,” it’s home to a thriving mix of retail operations and offices. And in 135 years or so, when the reinterred time capsule is once again rediscovered, it will spark a brand-new set of happy memories!
As for that time capsule in my hometown? Well, 2053 is only 28 years away. I can wait.
Photo Associate: Hank Kuhlmann
Donald-Brian Johnson is the co-author of numerous Schiffer books on design and collectibles, including Postwar Pop, a collection of his columns. Please address inquiries to: donaldbrian@msn.com
