DETROIT – A demolition crew tearing down an old Detroit building stumbled upon a century-old piece of history.
On Thursday, April 4, a group of history buffs eagerly gathered inside an exhibit hall at the Detroit Historical Museum. They were anxiously waiting for the delivery of a century-old time capsule.
LaJuan Counts, Detroit’s director of construction and demolition, was greeted with cheers as she walked into the museum holding a black box. Inside that box was a copper container -- the time capsule.
The capsule was from the 1920s, experts said. The box was left in the cornerstone of the Hannan Memorial YMCA on East Jefferson Avenue at a time when Detroit and its auto industry were booming.
You can see the time capsule in the video report up above.
A demolition crew recently discovered that piece of Detroit’s history while knocking down the building. According to city officials, the vacant structure had become blighted and unsafe after decades of neglect.
“We didn’t know for certain if it was there or not,” Counts said. “We had been receiving notifications via social media saying that they thought it was there, and to look for it in the cornerstone. Well, the cornerstone is fairly easy to find.”
On Thursday, the demolition department handed over the time capsule to the Detroit Historical Society.
“We are the protectors of Detroit’s artifacts,” said Elana Rugh, President and CEO of Detroit Historical Society.
Curators eagerly opened the time capsule to begin examining its contents. Inside was an old Bible, an official yearbook, and a 1926 YMCA roster.
There was also a booklet about the 1925 campaign to raise money for the Hannan Memorial YMCA building, and a program from its dedication ceremony in 1927.
“I mean it’s incredible,” curator Jeremy Dimick said. “It’s just like a direct line from whoever packed this up, straight through to now -- cutting through, geez, almost 100 years’ worth of time. It’s pretty dang cool.”
Curators also uncovered a flag. There were lots of newspaper clippings from the early 1920s, including an article about the time capsule being placed in the cornerstone.
Detroit Historical Society President and CEO Elana Rugh said the items tell a story.
“We’re just very excited to read those words from the past and see what was important to people back in 1927 to actually put in a time capsule,” Rugh said.
Once the curators have completed dissecting and examining the fragile pieces of history that the time capsule held, its contents will be preserved and cataloged at the Detroit Historical Society for the public to enjoy. That is expected to happen in person and online as soon as possible.
Click here for more information about the Detroit Historical Museum and Detroit Historical Society.