American workers found a “time box” during work to dismantle the pedestal of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia.
Ralph Northam, the governor of Virginia, announced via Twitter that crews completing the process of removing the pedestal, which contained the statue of the Confederate general, had found what appeared to be a second “time capsule” that had been wanted for a long time.
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) pic.twitter.com/3lWrsPGZd2
— Governor Ralph Northam (@VAGovernor73) December 27, 2021
In his tweet, Northam indicated that restoration officials are working on the study of the artifact, and continued, “They found it. It is possible that this is the time capsule that everyone was looking for.”
About four hours after his first tweet, posted on Monday, December 27, Northam released two more images of the square, obtained by X-ray.
“The X-rays provide a first look inside the time capsule: Experts believe there may be coins, books, buttons and even ammunition from the Civil War. The chest will be opened tomorrow at 1:00 pm,” he said.
X-rays give a first look inside the time capsule: Experts believe there may be coins, books, buttons, and even ammunition from the Civil War.
The box will be opened tomorrow at 1:00 PM! pic.twitter.com/zyVWoHa61o
— Governor Ralph Northam (@VAGovernor73) December 27, 2021
The discovery marks the latest turning point in the months-long search for the capsule, which contemporary news reports say was laid during a groundbreaking ceremony in 1887 attended by thousands of people.
Several news websites have speculated that the chest may contain dozens of artifacts, including Confederate memorabilia. Based on historical records, some have also speculated that the capsule may contain a rare photograph of the late President Abraham Lincoln.
Earlier this month, crews dismantling the base found a first “time capsule” embedded in a block of granite that some initially thought might have been the one laid in 1887.
But after restoration workers spent the past week cautiously opening the box, they found a maroon-colored book and at least three other volumes, a coin, and some papers inside the box.
The search for the 1887 time capsule resumed on Monday. Contractor Devon Henry, whose company oversaw the removal of the statue, said the first box was found inside a granite container primarily at ground level, surrounded by building materials.
The removal of the erection of a statue of Lee last September, which depicts the general on a horse on a raised pedestal in the former Confederate capital, comes as a result of the anti-racism protests in the United States of 2020, after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis by the police.