The National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri, recently unveiled a time capsule that was buried 100 years ago. This capsule was placed inside the Liberty Memorial in 1924 by historians and museum curators to be opened a century later. The items inside the capsule were meant to celebrate the victory in World War I and provide a snapshot of life at that time.
In the 1920s, the Liberty Memorial Association was formed by prominent Kansas City residents to build a memorial honoring those who served in World War I. A ceremony was held during the construction of the Liberty Memorial where a time capsule was placed deep within the limestone concrete interior of the Liberty Memorial Tower.
Retrieving the time capsule was no easy task for museum curators and staff. They had to drill inside the wall of the Liberty Memorial Tower to retrieve the capsule. The capsule was not in the expected location, so the museum’s facility engineer had to probe through thick limestone and concrete to find it. Additionally, there was concern about potentially flammable nitrate film from the 1920s stored inside the capsule.
The capsule was successfully opened with the help of the Kansas City Police Department bomb and arson unit. The contents were evaluated prior to the unveiling ceremony and were found to be well-preserved with no damage from water or mold.
Inside the time capsule were newspapers, a copy of the Constitution, a Bible, and a copy of the American declaration of war from April 1917. Three artifacts were opened live at the unveiling ceremony, including a tube of seeds representing the Kansas City agricultural community, a tube of letters from Allied war commanders and President Calvin Coolidge, and a printing plate from the Kansas City Star dated to November 1, 1921.
One unique aspect of the time capsule was the signatures engraved on the inside of the copper box. These signatures belonged to individuals involved in constructing the time capsule, showing that it was a community effort to create this piece of history.
Overall, the unveiling of the 100-year-old artifacts from the Kansas City time capsule at the WWI Museum was a fascinating look back at the past and a reminder of the community’s involvement in preserving history.
