Derby Elks Open 100-Year-Old Time Capsule

As a burglar alarm sounded from the Bar None next door, stonemasons were breaking into the Derby Elks Lodge, built a hundred years ago. To celebrate a time capsule went into the cornerstone in December 1915.

On Friday, it was time to take the time capsule out. Some people had a good idea of what was inside.

Mayor Anita Dugatto, (D) Derby, said "You can go up to the library and look it up on the Evening Sentinel."

Or you could wait for the power saw to do its research.

"We were hoping either it would be somewhere along the lines of Howard Carter when he broke into King Tut's tomb, and not like Geraldo Rivera when he opened the empty vault," said Randy Ritter.

To get the box some of the Elks put their shoulders to work, supporting the cornerstone while the Mason freed the time capsule.

The Elks took it inside their lodge for the formal opening.

The mason cut through the solder that had held the metal box shut for a hundred years.

"I'm going to be very careful," said Paula Norton of the Derby Historical Society. "I've put protective gloves on so that I don't let any of the oils from my hands touch any of the documents that are in there."

Documents indeed, many about the Elks of 1915, were folded and stuffed into the box. There were also a 48-star flag and a Catholic cross.

The Elks are still deciding what to put in the time capsule when they repair their cornerstone but they'll have another ceremony then.

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