Construction workers discovered a time capsule inside of the Lincoln Hall gateway while renovating the arch last month.

The discovery came as a surprise, as there is no record of the capsule being placed inside of the gateway. The capsule, a handmade copper box, is about 5 inches tall, 10 inches long and 8 inches wide. 

The box contained business cards, some with handwritten names on them, a 1913 Lincoln head wheat penny, an 1894 Indian head wheat penny and a handwritten tag with the name of the locksmith who crafted the box, Vern Benson. 

Melvyn Skvarla, campus historic preservation officer at Facilities and Services, said the contents of the box imply it was not an officially planned time capsule.

“I would assume (the names on the cards) were members of the class committee that organized and paid for the gateway as well as some workers,” Skvarla said. “I think they did it as a spur of the moment thing; I’m not sure why the 1894 penny is in there.”

According to Skvarla, the box had become oxidized over the years and the lid was not secured very tightly, causing the contents to delaminate and become “crumbly, like ash.”

In order to preserve the capsule’s contents, a small, clear plastic box was used to replace the copper box, which was reburied in the gateway. However, before it was reburied, additional items were added to the box. 

A 2014 penny, a CD with images of the original contents, a LAS souvenir coaster, a 2013 Homecoming pin, a LAS statistics sheet and the business cards of LAS Dean Barbara Wilson and Skvarla were placed inside. Skvarla also wrote a note explaining the contents of the box as well as how they found it.

Jason can be reached at [email protected].