A time capsule buried in 1795 by Paul Revere and
Samuel Adams was unearthed Thursday, December 11, in Boston at the Massachusetts Statehouse,
possibly the oldest such U.S. artifact ever uncovered.
The copper container
— green from oxidation and caked in plaster — was found in the cornerstone of
the "new" statehouse on Beacon Hill, which was completed in 1798.
As Boston Museum of Fine Arts Conservator Pam
Hatchfield chiseled away for hours to free the box, five silver coins spilled
from the stone block — measures of good luck tossed in when the capsule was
entombed by the revolutionary heroes 219 years ago, officials told the Boston
Globe. At the time, Adams was known as the governor, not a beer.
We are fortunate to be able to present the first
look inside.
