Time Capsule Uncovered In A Virginia Cemetery Was Full Of Startling Secrets
At a table inside Virginia’s Arlington National Cemetery, a conservator nervously eyes up a metal box. For more than 100 years, this time capsule has sat within the walls of the Memorial Amphitheater, keeping its secrets as the country around it changed and grew. But now it is time to reveal its contents to the world.
Today the amphitheater serves as the focal point for America’s great remembrance services, hosting everything from private funerals to president’s speeches. And over the years thousands of people have filed through its marble arches and columns to stand solemnly in the great courtyard and pay their respects. All the while, though, a different kind of memorial has been hiding in plain sight.
When construction on the building began in 1915, officials decided to leave something behind for future generations to discover. And so they filled a box with memories and stashed it inside the cornerstone. More than a hundred years later, during the amphitheater’s centennial celebrations, this treasure trove was finally unearthed.
On April 9, 2020, a team of specialists gathered at Arlington to open the time capsule. And slowly, one at a time, a series of historic relics began to emerge. These fascinating artifacts paint a picture of American life in 1915 – a time when the nation was on the cusp of transformation.
Located on the other side of the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., Arlington National Cemetery is known as the largest military burial ground in the United States. And its story began during the early years of the 19th century, when George Washington’s adoptive son, George Washington Parke Custis, took possession of a swathe of land outside the nation’s capital.
