Local Stories

147-Year-Old Time Capsule's Contents Revealed

KUNR Public Radio | By Jana Sayson

Published April 17, 2019 at 1:07 PM PDT

People gather taking pictures of artifacts on table.

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A large crowd shuffled patiently toward the stage at the Cargo Concert Hall in the Whitney Peak Hotel, peering at the time capsule artifacts laid out before them.

Jana Sayson

People in line looking at artifacts on table.

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With cameras in hand, onlookers gawked at the pieces of history preserved from within the Masonic Lodge Cornerstone time capsule.

Jana Sayson

People watching a video projected on screen.

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A video showed onlookers how Catherine Magee (left), president of the Nevada Historical Society, and her colleagues carefully unearthed the artifacts from within the capsule. Many of the artifacts were extremely fragile and required expert hands.

Jana Sayson

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Developers unearthed the cornerstone of the Reno Masonic Lodge containing a time capsule hidden within a chiseled rectangle. This cornerstone was first laid on October 15, 1872, according to records of the Grand Lodge of Nevada, making it 147 years old.

Jana Sayson

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This harmonica quickly became one of the crowd’s favorite items. The harmonica, as well as the other artifacts, offered a peek at what was deemed valuable by those who created the time capsule. ";

Jana Sayson

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Newspapers and records kept within the time capsule offered a glimpse of what was happening in 1872.

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Several coins were unearthed from the time capsule, which included silver dollars minted in Carson City and San Francisco, Mexican dollars, English quarter shillings, and American 3-cent pieces.

Jana Sayson

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Magee says that careful restoration will improve legibility of preserved pages from newspapers such as the Nevada State Journal and the San Francisco Chronicle, among others.

Jana Sayson

Different paper artifacts displayed on table.

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Newspapers, books, and a business card are among the more than 40 artifacts discovered within the time capsule. These paper materials suffered severe water damage and deterioration, but some original printed images, colors, and texts managed to survive.

Jana Sayson

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This arrowhead is one of the artifacts discovered inside the 1872 time capsule.

The City of Reno unveiled contents of a time capsule discovered within the Reno Masonic Lodge cornerstone, which developers unearthed in the historic building’s recent demolition.

The capsule was first laid on October 15, 1872, according to records of the Grand Lodge of Nevada. Artifacts include 1872 silver dollars from Carson City and San Francisco, a Mexican dollar, English quarter shillings, two American 3-cent pieces, a business card, various pages from newspapers, the constitution of the Masonic Grand Lodge and names of all Masonic officers in Nevada and Washoe County at the time, along with a harmonica.

The cornerstone was part of the Reno Masonic Lodge, which became the Reno Mercantile in the early 1900's. The building was the city’s oldest commercial building. Soon, the site will be home to an expansion of the Whitney Peak Hotel. Check out the full story here.