A 104-year-old time capsule was discovered during the demolition of an old school building in Owatonna, Minnesota.
Owatonna Public Schools opened the time capsule on Monday and posted a video online of the removal of its contents. Bob Olson, director of facilities, infrastructure and security, told those in attendance that the capsule was found while an old school building was being demolished.
A construction crew was in the process of demolishing an old high school in Minnesota recently when they discovered a time capsule tucked inside of a cornerstone from when the building was erected in 1920.https://t.co/mM6KZRqPrx pic.twitter.com/AEoHSaM9wE
— ABC News (@ABC) April 26, 2024
“This is a historic event for our community and certainly our school district,” Superintendent Jeff Elstad said before the capsule was opened.
On the day of the discovery, Olsen told the construction crew to remove the cornerstone “nice and carefully” from the old building, as they intended to reuse it. That’s when construction workers found the time capsule within the cornerstone, dating back to 1920. (RELATED: REPORT: Police Arrest State Senator For Breaking Into Relative’s Home Over Family Ashes)
The contents of the time capsule were laid out on a table for viewing on April 22. Inside the capsule, there was a list of mayors and city reporters, a copy of one of the high school’s first student newspaper volumes, finance committee reports, items from the Minnesota Freemasons and a booklet written in Czech, according to CBS News.
The cornerstone was laid on Sept. 30 during a ceremony conducted by Grand Master E. A. Montgomery of the Minnesota Freemasons, according to an article from the People’s Press from Oct. 1, 1920.
One document from the time capsule showed the school had 327 students in 1920.
“Today we have over 1,500 students at Owatonna High School,” Elstad said. “So we’ve grown.”