New clues emerge in hunt for time capsule

The picture of where a Charlottesville time capsule was buried nearly 50 years ago is getting clearer, thanks in part to a phone call from the man who was master of ceremonies at the burial.

Questions about the capsule’s location remain, however.

Charles H. Smith Jr. of Albemarle County worked for radio station WCHV in 1962 and was active in the Chamber of Commerce. He was picked to be the master of ceremonies for the capsule’s burial, which capped a week of celebrations marking the city’s 200th anniversary.

He called after seeing a newspaper story indicating that organizers of the city’s upcoming 250th anniversary celebration were working to figure out where the capsule is.

His call to the paper identified the date The Daily Progress covered the burial as July 23, 1962. Previous searches for articles on the event had turned up nothing, but those searches had been focused on November of that year, which is technically the anniversary of the city’s charter. While many, including some officials, have assumed that the burial was held in November, it was actually held on a Saturday, July 21, appearing on page 13 of the paper two days later.

The news story describes the capsule as being buried on the grounds of the Charlottesville Circuit Court, then under construction, “outside the east wall of the building, just back of its front face.”

A combination of the photo that ran in the 1962 newspaper and a photograph showing Marine Gen. Lewis “Chesty” Puller and the festival queen burying the box indicate that the spot in question is below the sidewalk that leads from the side door to the court clerk’s office.

Steven G. Meeks, president of the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society, said officials aren’t sure why their counterparts almost five decades back picked the spot. The capsule itself was described as a cube, 18 inches on each side, made of steel, bolted tight and caulked against water and air. It was designed and donated by Southern Welding and Machine Co., which was located in Charlottesville. It contained “maps, photographs, newspaper and other relics for the future.”

The Daily Progress only retains a microfilm archive from those days, and photographs from the film do not reproduce well in print, so the picture is not included here. It shows, however, a man carrying the capsule to its prepared hole. The photograph also includes a drain that is still present, which is of great help as a reference point.

But officials are worried that an expedition below the pebble-filled concrete might not yield the box.

In 1962, a group of children was charged with reminding city officials to dig the capsule up in 2012. One of those people seems to remember that the capsule had to be removed temporarily for construction work.

Preston Coiner, a member of the committee working on the upcoming celebration, said that organizers are hoping they might be able to use some sort of technology — perhaps a metal detector or ground-penetrating radar — to check whether the box is still there before they dig.

“The question is, ‘Did it go back in the same spot?’” Meeks said.