Update – 10/16/2024:
The National WWI Museum and Memorial has unveiled the contents of the time capsule that had been placed in the cornerstone of the Memorial Courtyard – and the items did not disappoint. However, before the container could be opened, the bomb squad needed to be called in, as it was believed a nitrate film from the 1920s was inside, which had a high likelihood of combusting once it was opened.
Once they were given the all-clear, the museum’s team spent eight hours meticulously opening the packages within the time capsule with tweezers. During the process, they were happy to see that none of the artifacts had suffered moisture damage.
Stored within were a Bible; copies of the US Constitution and the American declaration of war from 1917; a tube of seeds; letters from various Allied commanders who’d served in the Great War and President Calvin Coolidge; and a Kansas Star printing plate. On top of this, signatures were found etched into the interior of the copper container, which staff believe to be from the men who created the capsule.
Original Article:
The National WWI Museum and Memorial has announced it’ll be opening a time capsule that was placed in the cornerstone on the Memorial Courtyard during construction in the 1920s. The long-awaited reveal will happen on October 16, 2024, a century after it was placed at the site dedicated to those who lost their lives during the Great War.
The opening of the time capsule has many excited, as it’ll offer a glimpse into post-war America. A story published in the Kansas City Times during that period states that it contains objects and historical objects dating back to the First World War, including signed copies of the 1918 Armistice agreement and the country’s official declaration of war from 1917.
Also alleged to be within it are a copy of The Artilleryman, photos of the three US presidents who took part in the 1921 dedication of the Liberty Memorial site and flags from America’s wartime allies.
While the National WWI Museum and Memorial is in possession of the “official” list of what’s within the time capsule, it’s curious about what else it could contain.
The concept for a memorial dedicated to the American soldiers who lost their lives while fighting in World War I first came about in 1919. The Kansas City-based Liberty Memorial Association spearheaded the project, with the Liberty Memorial being designed by New Jersey-born architect Harold Van Buren Magonigle.
Featuring a 217-foot-tall spire and two Assyrian sphinxes – one facing east (toward France) and the other, west (symbolizing a still unknown future) – the memorial opened to the public in 1926. Two years prior, the aforementioned time capsule was placed in the cornerstone.
The event saw speeches from the likes of then-US President Calvin Coolidge, a concert, the releasing of doves and aircraft flybys.
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The opening of the time capsule will take place at 10:30 AM CST on October 16. While people are encouraged to attend in-person, those unable to make it can watch the event via a live stream on the National WWI Museum and Memorial’s website.