Second time capsule found at site of Robert E Lee statue, contents revealed
Workers located and opened a second time capsule found underneath the removed Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond Virginia. A previous time capsule was already found and opened.
The second time capsule was found where the Robert E. Lee statue once stood in Richmond, Virginia.
A copper box was found beneath the pedestal and the box weighed 36 pounds and measured 13.5 inches by 13.5 inches by 7.5 inches.
"They found it! This is likely the time capsule everyone was looking for. Conservators studying it -- stay tuned for next steps! (Won't be opened today)," Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam tweeted.
Historians believed the newly found time capsule was placed on October 27, 1887, and included roughly 60 items, many of which were related to the Confederacy.
The second time-capsule was opened on Tuesday, December 28th.
CNN reported on what was found inside:
Items inside included an 1865 edition of Harper's Weekly magazine with an clear image of a figure weeping over Abraham Lincoln's grave; a Bible with a coin stuck to it; and a Richmond directory.
Also found were more newspapers, books, coins, and letters. A minié ball, a type of bullet commonly used in the American Civil War, was also discovered.
Water was reportedly found inside the box and its items had expanded, making it a very difficult task for conservators to remove items.
Kate Ridgeway, Virginia's Archaeological Conservator who led the box's opening, said the artifact was a "little more wet than we had hoped for."
Historians will continue to analyze the findings from both time capsules.
Should the Robert E. Lee Statue have stayed up? Is removing the monument erasing southern history? Should communist works like the 1619 Project be banned? Comment your thoughts below!