Conservation experts from the Missouri State Archives carefully opened this morning the 100-year-old time capsule that was removed last week from the cornerstone of the Missouri Capitol, and removed its contents.
The Capsule contained dozens of books, manuals, newspapers, a Bible, and at least one unexpected item – a metal tube that reads, “East Gate Lodge # 630 – A.F. & A.M. Kansas City, Missouri.”
The tube was not opened, nor were the books or the newspapers, so that archivists can begin work to preserve them for future display. One commented that the contents were in better shape than he had expected.
“I expected them to be a lot drier and crisper,” she commented. “The challenge is going to be opening them up and flattening them. We have a procedure in the conservation lab where we gently introduce humidity in a vapor form so that we very slowly open them up without cracking them.”
Below is a series of screen caps taken from a Periscope live feed that the Missouri Office of Administration offered this morning of the opening. Those streams can still be viewed for a time on a smart phone or tablet by finding @MOGov on the Periscope app.
The office also reminds the public they can still offer submissions for what should be put in the capsule that will be sealed July 3 in the Capitol cornerstone. Those ideas can be submitted by going to mo.gov/timecapsule or using the hashtag #MOTimeCapsule on Twitter, until midnight Saturday night.
