Skip to content

Historical time capsule containing letter from President Coolidge unveiled at National WWI Museum

A time capsule from 1924 was unveiled at the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri.

The 100-year-old box was laid at the cornerstone of the Liberty Memorial Tower two years before the memorial opened to the public and was found in June by officials. 

The Liberty Memorial was dedicated “in honor of those who served in World War One in defense of liberty and our country,” according to Kansas City Parks and Recreation.

TIME CAPSULE FROM 1941 UNEARTHED AT INDIANA DUNES NATIONAL PARK

The Kansas City Police Department’s bomb squad inspected the capsule due to concerns about the presence of film inside the capsule.

“We were unsure if it was a type of film that degrades over time and that could have caused an explosion. Once it was determined that the time capsule was safe to open, team members worked diligently to unwrap everything and assess its condition,” said a museum spokesperson via email to Fox News Digital. 

RARE WEAPON FROM REVOLUTIONARY WAR HEADS TO PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM

The museum hosted an unveiling with historians and curators to unearth pieces of American history in an auditorium with local schools in attendance. 

Three items were left to be unwrapped at the live showing.

Historians uncovered letters from the five commanders of the Allied powers and one penned by President Calvin Coolidge.

In his letter to the Liberty Memorial Association, Coolidge wrote, “I am pleased to hear you are within a few days to lay [the] corner stone of the great memorial,” according to museum officials.

For more Lifestyle articles, visit foxnews.com/lifestyle

Another unwrapped item, “seeds of the day,” was in a tube and in envelopes from the Department of Agriculture Seed Lab, giving viewers a glimpse into popular crops of the time. 

Bronze plates featuring the front page of the Kansas City Star newspaper and a photo of the five Allied commanders were also included in the capsule.

Other artifacts found were various photos, the U.S. Constitution, site documents and a Bible.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER

The spokesperson said they also found “surprises.”

“We found several signatures on the inside of the box and [on the] back of the bronze plates. There were also periodicals from the Kansas City Chamber that shared what the city was like in 1924,” the spokesperson added.

In celebration of the time capsule, the museum will create a new one to be buried in 2026.

en_USEnglish