- High Hopes for Mysterious 1820s Time Capsule
- The Unveiling of the Lead Casket
- A Disappointing Discovery and Ongoing Examination
West Point staff and students met on Monday for a historic event. Opening a mystery 1820s time capsule found at the base of a campus statue months before.
The event was live-streamed, beginning with pre-recorded remarks from academy historian Jennifer Voigtschild inviting the audience to “literally uncover a piece of West Point history”. Cadets were filmed speculating on what the nearly 200-year-old lead casket contained: an American flag, boots, or perhaps a class ring.
However, there was only dirt.
An auditorium full of cadets had watched for thirty minutes as Ms. Voigtschild led the school through the breathless build-up and invited some of West Point’s top officers on stage to celebrate the momentous occasion.
In front of them, in the center of the stage, was a 12-by-12-by-13-inch (30-by-30-by-33-centimeter) grey box, with two school employees wearing purple rubber gloves and white masks as they prepared to reveal its contents.
A few months earlier, the casket was discovered during the removal of a bronze statue of war hero Thaddeus Kosciuszko. The box was discovered beneath the marble face of the monument. It was likely deposited there during the 1829 completion of the statute.
Ms. Voigtschild stated from the stage, “We believe it to be an artifact or what we would call a time capsule today, placed there when the monument was completed in 1829.”
She explained that they were only speculating because West Point researchers could find no record of a box, artifact, time capsule, or any other object being deposited inside the statue’s base. Because the time capsule was composed of lead, an x-ray showed only “anomalies” in its inside. Which were regarded as a sign of something, but no one understood what.
The theatre went silent as a metal tool delicately opened the package. The livestream camera zoomed in to capture the meticulous efforts. Once the box was cautiously opened, one employee examined its contents with a small torch.
He uncovered nothing.
“We’re not sure if it’s soil, mud, or dust,” he said, later adding, “The box didn’t quite meet our expectations.”
Nonetheless, in the hopes that West Point’s ancestors did not leave a box of dirt to be discovered centuries later. The silt will be thoroughly examined for any special contents.
“I’m sure some audience members have questions for our onstage experts” After the dirt was found, Ms. Voigtschild commented.
