US: Crews in Richmond find second 'time capsule' at Robert E. Lee statue site

The crews in Richmond, Virginia winding up the giant pedestal that once held a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee on Monday landed on what appears to be a second-time capsule that could unveil unique artefacts. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam informed in a series of tweets on Dec. 27 that the mystery box is being removed by the crews from the site and that the conservators were studying the artefact. Although, it remains unclear at this time what the contents of the box might be. 

“They found it! This is likely the time capsule everyone was looking for,” Gov. Ralph Northam said in a tweet. 

The capsule was found after a months-long search. It is said to have been buried during a cornerstone-laying ceremony in 1887 and may contain dozens of donated artifacts, historical records, and Confederate memorabilia as well as some rare photos of deceased President Abraham Lincoln. Lee statue depicts the US general atop a horse and was erected in Virginia on a pedestal in1890. The US State was the former capital of the Confederacy. 

While at least four city-owned statues were taken down in 2020 after the George Floyd ‘Black Lives Matter’ protests, a statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee that towered over Richmond for generations had somehow survived two lawsuits. Lee was the last of the Civil War figures, and as his 21-foot-tall bronze figure was ultimately lowered, civil rights activists and members of Virginia Defenders for Freedom Justice & Equality called the moment a victory. These Confederate statues and monuments have been a telltale of injustice faced by Black and people of colour under reigning White supremacy.

Time capsule made of 'copper' discovered this time

Whilst dismantling the pedestal from the statue that had stood for 130 years in its location, the crews found the time capsule. This time, they said it was an authentic one embedded in a granite block that may have been placed there in 1887. A similar capsule was found earlier this month that had left the crews disappointed as they expected a trove of objects related to the Confederacy but found insignificant objects. All they could recover from the 'lead' made capsule was some waterlogged book—a rust-coloured 1875 almanac, a silver coin, and an envelope with some papers. A theory spread that the said lead box was probably left on the site by a person that was involved in the monument’s construction. Then the search for the 1887 time capsule resumed once again earlier yesterday. 

According to Devon Henry, the contractor with the company involved in excavation, the time capsule made of copper this time was found inside a granite enclosure basically at a deep ground level. It was stranded between the concrete and seated on the level where there was water underground, he told the Baltimore CBC local network. After the crews spotted it, the box was packed inside bubble wrap and transported by vehicle for further research, he told the local reporters. Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam had ordered the statue’s removal.

At the time when a capsule was discovered, Northam said that it was an important day for the history of Richmond and Virginia. His remarks came just minutes after lifting open the capsule and crews frantically searching for a "picture of Lincoln lying in his coffin". It is said that as many as 37 Richmond residents, organisations, and businesses contributed about 60 objects to the actual capsule.