Take A Look – Paul Revere & Samuel Adams’ Time Capsule Finally Opened

Monica Sanchez | January 7, 2015
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The oldest U.S. time capsule to date was finally opened today. 

On Dec. 11, 2014, a time capsule was unearthed from a cornerstone of the Massachusetts Statehouse, first placed there during its construction in 1795 by Governor Samuel Adams and Paul Revere.

According to the Associated Press, its items were repackaged in 1855, during what the Boston Globe reported was a set of emergency repairs to the building’s foundation.  

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It reportedly took more than seven hours to extricate the mysterious green box.

The post-revolutionary era time capsule was opened Tuesday night at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Here's what they found: 

 

 

 

 

Artifacts discovered include:​

  • A paper impression of the Seal of the Commonwealth
  • A total of 24 coins, many from 1795 as well as a shilling from 1652
  • Five newspapers, including a copy of “The Boston Traveler” priced at two-cents 
  • A silver plaque inscribed by Paul Revere with the year 1795 on one side and the year 1855 on the other
  • The title page of the first volume of the Massachusetts Colony Records

Overjoyed to have participated in such a historic event, MFA Conservator Pam Hatchfield said, 

 

 

Watch the video above and witness history unfold. 

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