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

The search continues.

https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/search-to-resume-for-1887-time-capsule-under-lee-monument/

 

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$20. Gold coins would have been more impressive.

 

Looks like they found the right one this time!

https://www.wric.com/news/local-new...-capsule-at-the-former-robert-e-lee-monument/

 

Hot dang!! I can't wait till they open the box.

 

Great, now we will have yet another suspenseful opening - surely this one will take the conservator about three days to open

 

Years ago my wife got me hooked up with an archeological dig at a native American site. It like to made me go out of my mind.... I could see the ancient stuff, but they would oh so slowly dust around the stuff.... I wanted so badly to jump in the hole and start grabbing artifacts.

 

They said it was sitting in water.
Yikes.

 

Somewhere Forrest Fenn is laughing.

 

Opening it today, scheduled for 1pm Eastern, to be broadcast live again. Maybe they'll use a power tool this time. If they start going at it with a scalpel and tongue depresser again I'll pop back in after four hours.

https://www.wavy.com/news/virginia/...statue-site-in-richmond-to-be-opened-tuesday/

"Northam’s office said the newly discovered box underwent an initial analysis Monday. Its dimensions match the size listed in the historical record and X-rays showed it appeared to include items such as books, coins, buttons and perhaps a type of Civil War-era ammunition"

The last bit about ammunition - on the list published in the newspaper are "Master Frank Brown... three bullets from battlefield of Fredericksburg, one piece of shell from Fredericksburg, one piece of wood with missile ball in it from battlefield of Fredericksburg."

 

The "picture of Lincoln lying in his coffin" was actually a center spread from Harper's Weekly, April 29 1865. From a zoomed camera shot it was clearly this, although it had been folded and was severely damaged along the creases.



There was a packet of wrapped coins, 1883 dime stuck to a Bible, 1853 quarter, 1886 dollar also stuck to a book, and an Indian Head cent of unknown date. The latter loose coins looked in pretty rough shape but perhaps conservation will help. No idea what the wrapped coins are yet.

 

The only ID so far is a 1873 dime, but the shot was so quick I couldn't see any detail at all except the liberty seated design.

Could be:
No Arrows
Philadelphia
Close 3 or open 3
Carson City - currently unique
W Arrows
Philadelphia
normal
Doubled Die
Carson City
San Francisco

 

She clearly said 1883. It's at 18:03. Couldn't post a link to the exact point in the video, sorry.


Other coins identified are in my post above.

 

I want to know what is in the bundle of coins that was wrapped up and tied with a wire.

I watched the whole thing afterwards, was impressed how well the majority of the items held up - made me believe that the moisture could have been condensation from the recent temperature changes that the box was exposed to as the monument was dismantled.

 

I felt like I was digging a hole metal detecting while I watched that….. Should I be surprised that there is so many Masonic related items in the box?

 

I would have expected to see photos of Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis and a folded Confederate Flag.

 

Good call. I was very curious about this item, as I'm sure many were. Now we know what it really was/is.

 

I was left with this thought - if you put up a monument to a revered figure you expect the monument will be there for eternity or darn near so. So why put a time capsule under a monument?

 

I was discussing the same thought with my wife last night!

 

Who cares what's in it? Someone will be offended by it's history, and they'll burn it all to ashes, the end.