A century-old time capsule in Virginia, Minn., offers a glimpse into the town’s past
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It was standing room only in a county office building on the Iron Range Tuesday, where St. Louis County officials opened a time capsule that had been sealed for more than 100 years. Workers found the small copper box in the cornerstone of an old building they recently demolished.
Sixty-two year-old Brenda Burle from the tiny town of Iron, Minn., was so excited to see the time capsule opened that she arrived an hour early.
“I wanted to be right in front. I’m supposed to guard the box, so nobody touches it,” she said.
The box in question sat on a table in the front of a conference room, where the big reveal would happen. The box was made of copper, about a foot long, five or so inches wide, and was welded shut.
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Burle said she hoped there’d be some old money in it or maybe some news of what was going on in Virginia a century ago.
“Whether it’s somebody got convicted of a murder or something good happened to Virginia? I don’t know what’s in there. I’m just excited to find out,” she said.
Twenty-five sixth graders were also stoked to see the contents. North Star Elementary School principal Scott Manni even made an exception to the school’s no-cellphone policy so students could snap photos.
“It is critically important that our students get connected with the past and where the city of Virginia started and where we’re going,” he said. “So it was great we were able to bring them down here for this historic event.”
As the room quieted, St. Louis County Commissioner Keith Nelson fed the sense of anticipation.
“No one has looked inside this box,” he said. “No one has gotten to this box because it has been stored in my office since it was taken out of the demolition of the building.”
Out came a small hacksaw, which Virginia Mayor Larry Cuffee used to cut the time capsule open.
Then sixth-grader Bryn Stefanich, Commissioner Nelson’s granddaughter, finished the job.
“Let’s pick some stuff out and see what it is,” said Nelson.
Mayor Cuffee donned gloves and pulled out a yellowed document.
“Well, I have here an amended charter of the city of Virginia circa 1914. Maybe we should go back to this,” he joked.
There was a variety of papers and envelopes stuffed in the box, much of it mundane, like a report from the City Water and Light Commission from 1922 and report of city finances.
One of the more poignant moments came when Cuffee opened a small box within the time capsule. It contained a medal.
“This is likely a medal that was issued to everybody who served back in World War I,” he said. “Anybody who served in this area in World War I received one of these medals.”
The reveal was met with applause.
Most of the materials in the box were from 1923, just a few years after the war ended. Cuffee pulled out a typed list with the title, “Virginia boys who gave their lives for their country in the World War against Germany.”
The list was more than a page long.
Sixth grader Bryn Stefanich said it was an honor to be a part of the ceremony.
“I think it was awesome to see that World War I medal. It’s just amazing to see how they did things,” she said.
But she admitted disappointment that there wasn’t a big stash of cash.
The county plans to display the contents of the time capsule in an exhibit in the lobby of the Government Services Center.
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