Crews searching for Richmond Virginia Robert E. Lee statue 1887 time capsule

There's a silver dollar in it.

Work crews were still searching Thursday morning for a time capsule they believed was buried inside the pedestal under a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that towered over Richmond, Virginia, for more than a century until it was taken down Wednesday.

A newspaper article from 1887 suggests that the copper time capsule contains mostly memorabilia, including a U.S. silver dollar and a collection of Confederate buttons. But one line from that article has piqued the interest of historians. Listed among the artifacts is a "picture of Lincoln lying in his coffin".

Yahoo News and Associated Press:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/confederate-statues-1887-time-capsule-050427985.html

 

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That will be so danged cool when they find it.

 

A somewhat fitting ending that, after tearing down a symbol of their own history, Virginia officials are pilfering through the remains looking for treasure.

 

Cool story ! I wish they do find the secret time capsule . I also wish they film it and show the Public as long as Geraldo Rivera isn't involved .

 

I find it curious that back when the statue was erected that they would put a time capsule in it - the implied intent that it would be recovered at some time in the distant future.

 

They were and still are common practice...not anything of gloom and doom, etc, but simply that nothing of mortal man lives/lasts forever. That said, yes it's sad the opportunity to find it came this soon, after just 130 years and under these circumstances.

 

The statue's already been looted.

 

That's certainly one way of looking at it.

 

From the article posted:

Listed among the artifacts is a “picture of Lincoln lying in his coffin.”

What I want to know is why was there a desire to place such an item in a time capsule in a memorial to a southern general?

 

You know why.

 

I am like @scottishmoney and had pondered the same thing in my mind. Now that I read your response, do you think it was some morbid token... The losing confederate generals image standing over a photo of the remains of his enemy sort of a thing?...... I think of a time capsule as just that. It holds important memories of the time to capsule was placed. You thinking that there was some sort of a tie in?

 

That's exactly what I think.
The losing side has not exactly been gracious in its loss over the last 156 years. I imagine there was even more animosity amongst those that paid to erect that statue back then.

 

I see I offend some people when I used logic and passion.

The reason a photo of Lincoln in his coffin would be buried under a statue of a Confederate General has everything to do with the forbidden POLITICS.

But when only one side of an argument is labeled politics, it becomes tyranny.

But this is hopefully an acceptable answer and will survive scrutiny since it is less passionate. If not, then I will just allow ignorance is bliss to rule.

 

Assuming that they find the relic box, and assuming it contains a silver dollar, anyone care to guess the date? I'll go with an 1889 Morgan.

 

I hardly think that events from 150 years ago would be considered politically offensive now. Back then, yes, but now? We've mentioned Presidents and their monetary policies here often, such as McKinley's adherence to the gold standard, and Jefferson's suspension of minting silver coinage, for example. I don't think anyone is or should be offended by that?, Now talking about the statue actually being taken down, that I can see as being politically offensive to many. I don't think that discussion was intended here.

 

Crews end search for 1887 time capsule under former Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond

Crews in Virginia ended a daylong search Thursday after they were unable to locate a 134-year-old time capsule state officials believe is buried in the pedestal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that towered over Richmond for more than a century.

State officials were scheduled to remove the 134-year-old time capsule from the cornerstone a day after the large Confederate statue was taken down. But after removing more than half a dozen large, heavy stones, crews were unable to find it.

CBS News article:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/robert-e-lee-statue-virginia-1887-time-capsule-search-end

Some things are better left unfound.

 

That is a bummer..... There was a History Channel program not long ago about the authenticity of a deathbed photograph pf President Lincoln. Apparently there are few, if any confirmed photos of the deceased president.