RICHMOND, Va. — A rust-colored 1875 almanac, a cloth envelope and a silver coin were found Wednesday in a time capsule that sat beneath a towering statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Virginia for more than 130 years.
Another book, tattered with a pink cover, appeared to be an edition of “The Huguenot Lovers: A Tale of the Old Dominion” by Collinson Pierrepont Edwards Burgwyn. There also appeared to a pamphlet of some kind.
There were three books total, all of which appeared to be water damaged. Gov. Ralph Northam said the books, once dry, will shed light on what people were thinking there in the late 19th century.
“It’s an important day for the history of Richmond and Virginia,” Northam said, just minutes after opening the capsule.
The time capsule was embedded in the 40-foot-tall pedestal of the Lee statue in Richmond. But it’s not what many there were expecting after state conservators spent five hours gingerly prying it open.
A newspaper article from 1887 suggested that the capsule contains Civil War memorabilia and a “picture of Lincoln lying in his coffin.” Records from the Library of Virginia also suggested that 37 Richmond residents, organizations and businesses contributed about 60 objects to the capsule, many of which are believed to be related to the Confederacy.
Besides there being far fewer objects, the capsules’ dimensions were smaller than expected. The capsule, which is about the size of a large shoe box, was also made of lead, not the copper that state officials believed it would be.
The time capsule, embedded in a 1,500-pound granite block. was found Friday by crews working to remove the pedestal where the Lee statue had stood.
The monument was long seen as a symbol of racial injustice in the former capital of the Confederacy. It was taken down in September more than a year after Northam ordered that it be removed following protests that started after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.