A second time capsule was found in the pedestal of a Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond, VA. The latest discovery comes after historians found the first box of books originally thought to be a time capsule described by a late 1800s article detailing a capsule stored by the former Confederate general.
The Washington Examiner reports:
After being checked by Richmond’s bomb squad to make sure it was safe to open, the capsule was taken to the conservation lab at the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, which will “try to determine how the box is sealed and whether the seal has been breached,” Julie Langan, the department director, told CNN.
“They found it!” Gov. Ralph Northam wrote on social media. “This is likely the time capsule everyone was looking for. Conservators studying it — stay tuned for next steps! (Won’t be opened today).”
Langan said the capsule was found “below grade in a very wet area,” and it is “too soon to know whether water infiltrated the box.” She said two paper conservators will be present when the box is opened.
An 1887 article in the Richmond Dispatch describes the roughly 60 items expected to be in the box, including a picture of President Abraham Lincoln lying in his coffin.
The 36-pound copper box is believed to be the real deal. The statue of the general was taken down on Sep. 8.
Joe can easily make four years. Of course he’ll be brain dead for the last two years, but the embalming skills of morticians are now so incredible that no one will be able to tell.