DETROIT – On Thursday, a group of history buffs eagerly gathered inside an exhibit hall at the Detroit Historical Museum. The group was anxiously waiting for a near-century-old time capsule to be delivered.
Detroit’s Director of Construction and Demolition, LaJuan Counts, arrived to cheers as she walked into the museum holding a black box. Inside that box was a copper container.
“Oh, this is fantastic,” one woman said.
That copper container was a time capsule from the early 1920s. It was left in the cornerstone of the Hannan Memorial YMCA on East Jefferson Avenue during a time when Detroit and its auto industry were booming.
A demolition crew discovered that piece of Detroit’s history while knocking down the building. According to city officials, the vacant structure had become blighted and unsafe after decades of neglect.
“We didn’t know for certain if it was there or not,” Counts said. “But we had been receiving notifications via social media saying that they thought it was there and to look for it in the cornerstone. Well, the cornerstone is fairly easy to find.”
On Thursday (April 4), the Construction and Demolition Department handed over the time capsule to the Detroit Historical Society.
“We are the protectors of Detroit’s artifacts,” said Elana Rugh, President and CEO of Detroit Historical Society.
Curators like Jeremy Dimick eagerly opened the time capsule to begin removing its contents. In it, there was an old Bible, an official yearbook, and a 1926 YMCA roster.
There was also a booklet about the 1925 campaign to raise money for the Hannan Memorial YMCA building and a program from its dedication ceremony in 1927.
“I mean it’s incredible,” Jeremy Dimick said. “It’s just like a direct line from whoever packed this up, you know, straight through to now, cutting through, geez, almost 100 years’ worth of time. It’s pretty dang cool.”
Curators also uncovered a flag. There were lots of newspaper clippings from the early 1920s, including an article about the time capsule being placed in the cornerstone.
Detroit Historical Society President and CEO Elana Rugh said the items tell a story.
“We’re just very excited to read those words from the past and see what was important to people back in 1927 to actually put in a time capsule,” Rugh said.
Once the curators have completed dissecting and examining the fragile pieces of history that the time capsule held, its contents will be preserved and cataloged at the Detroit Historical Society for the public to enjoy.
Click here for more information about the Detroit Historical Museum and Detroit Historical Society.