Countless pet rocks. A vibrant teal suit. Thousands of letters, photographs, and cassette tapes. And a groovy, bright yellow Chevy Vega. These are just a few of the treasures stashed inside what was once hailed as the world’s largest time capsule by the World Record Academy. Originally buried in 1975, the time capsule has now been unearthed in Seward, Neb., revealing precious, fascinating, and at times unexpected artifacts for the first time in more than half a century.
The opening, which took three days to complete, coincided with Seward’s Fourth of July celebrations. Thousands of visitors flocked to the small town for a glimpse into the past and to retrieve items that they themselves had buried. Stephanie Fisher, for instance, traveled from Colorado with her family to reunite with their contribution: a cassette tape featuring voice messages from family members.
“My parents didn’t think they would be here 50 years later to retrieve it with us,” Fisher told NBC in a recent interview. “It’s pretty special to know that their voices [are] in there.”
Chris Galen, who traveled to Nebraska from Virginia, echoed the sentiment: “I made a mental note that in 50 years if I was still alive, I would want to come back here and be part of the opening.” After all, his mother had stored a letter inside the time capsule, which he managed to find amid the piles of unsorted mail.
“I’m hoping as [my mother is] looking down on us from somewhere that I can report back to her that a lot of the things she wanted for me and for my brother came true,” Galen said, upon reading the note.
The time capsule was the brainchild of Harold Davisson, who, according to his daughter, Trish Davisson Johnson, “wanted to wait for his grandchildren to remember life in 1975.” In an attempt to protect the thousands of objects sealed within, Davisson even created a ventilation system to keep moisture out. When the capsule was finally buried in 1975, it reigned as the “world’s largest time capsule,” but that title was eventually lost in 1983. Davisson was determined not to give up, and constructed a pyramid atop the capsule to recapture the honor. Since then, the time capsule has served as a poignant reminder not only of the town’s past, but that of the entire nation.
“There were packages from, I’m going to say, 3,000 people, letters and packages, letters to themselves, letters to their grandchildren, letters to their heirs,” Johnson says of the time capsule.
Though Johnson estimates that “80% of people are going to be able to get their items back” now that the capsule has been opened, some 20% are “going to be disappointed.”
“A lot of the packages that were wrapped in plastic have come out very, very well, but we have a layer of mold-type items on the outside of all the paper and cardboard,” she explains.
Even so, those odds are favorable—and impressive, given the amount of time that the time capsule was buried. In fact, Johnson plans to create a permanent display for the capsule, further memorializing its contents and the mission her father embarked upon all those years ago.
“My father was a big proponent of life,” she says. “He did everything big.”
In Seward, Neb., the world’s largest time capsule was cracked open after 50 years, offering an intimate glimpse into life during the 1970s.
Inside were countless pet rocks, letters, packages, and even a bright yellow Chevy Vega.
View this post on Instagram
Sources: ‘World’s largest’ time capsule opened in Nebraska 50 years later; Nebraska Town Opens 45-Ton Time Capsule 50 Years After It Was Sealed
Related Articles:
High School Principal Handwrites a Personalized Letter to Each Graduating Student
Hear Albert Camus’ Grateful Letter to His Teacher After Winning the Nobel Prize
Teen Bets $10 He’ll Marry His High School Sweetheart, Almost a Decade Later They Tie the Knot