Time capsule turns
out to be a placebo
NEVADA CITY 10/3/02 - A time capsule buried 142 years ago in the cornerstone of Firehouse #2 on Broad Street was exhumed this week, to the dismay of hopeful history buffs.
Instead of the artifacts newspapers of the day recorded being put in the little tin box, only corroded coins, paper fragments and metallic dust were found, City Councilman Steve Cottrell said Wednesday.
The keystone for Pennsylvania Engine Company #2 was laid Oct. 17, 1860, and the building was completed in January 1861. It remains today as the oldest continuously active firehouse in California, with the Nevada City Fire Department still housing some of its rolling stock there.
The time capsule resurrection was part of a planned $35,000 restoration project that began two weeks ago and is expected to be completed by the end of the month, said Cottrell, who is also an avid amateur historian.
The antique balcony that hangs out over the sidewalk will be refurbished and a 12-foot-wide leaded glass transom that once arched across the station's barn-like front doors will be returned, according to Cottrell.
Placing the time capsule was big news then and the town's three newspapers -- the Journal, the Transcript and the Democrat -- covered it with gusto. The unearthing sparked its share of fanfare, at least among local historians.
"From old newspaper articles we knew what was in the box: some coins, a roster of the firemen at the time and sketches of the great fire of 1856 written by fire survivors," Cottrell said.
Unfortunately, the firefighters who deposited the box -- which Cottrell described as being "about the size of a submarine sandwich" -- failed to seal the lid with hot pitch or tar, as was commonly done then, Cottrell said.
As a result, when the capsule was exposed, the tin lid had been reduced to dust, the silver dollars and coins of lesser denominations were severely oxidized and the first-hand accounts of the Great Fire of '56 had all broken into flakes.
"It was very disappointing," Cottrell said.
The capsule's contents now reside in an evidence locker at the Nevada City Police Department, but that may not be the end of the story.
Cottrell said he plans to recommend the city place a new time capsule in the cornerstone cavity when the restoration project closes down. Some of the coins from the tin box would be put in the new capsule along with items that reflect Nevada City in the 21st century.
And this time, Cottrell said, they will seal it.
out to be a placebo
NEVADA CITY 10/3/02 - A time capsule buried 142 years ago in the cornerstone of Firehouse #2 on Broad Street was exhumed this week, to the dismay of hopeful history buffs.
Instead of the artifacts newspapers of the day recorded being put in the little tin box, only corroded coins, paper fragments and metallic dust were found, City Councilman Steve Cottrell said Wednesday.
The keystone for Pennsylvania Engine Company #2 was laid Oct. 17, 1860, and the building was completed in January 1861. It remains today as the oldest continuously active firehouse in California, with the Nevada City Fire Department still housing some of its rolling stock there.
The time capsule resurrection was part of a planned $35,000 restoration project that began two weeks ago and is expected to be completed by the end of the month, said Cottrell, who is also an avid amateur historian.
The antique balcony that hangs out over the sidewalk will be refurbished and a 12-foot-wide leaded glass transom that once arched across the station's barn-like front doors will be returned, according to Cottrell.
Placing the time capsule was big news then and the town's three newspapers -- the Journal, the Transcript and the Democrat -- covered it with gusto. The unearthing sparked its share of fanfare, at least among local historians.
"From old newspaper articles we knew what was in the box: some coins, a roster of the firemen at the time and sketches of the great fire of 1856 written by fire survivors," Cottrell said.
Unfortunately, the firefighters who deposited the box -- which Cottrell described as being "about the size of a submarine sandwich" -- failed to seal the lid with hot pitch or tar, as was commonly done then, Cottrell said.
As a result, when the capsule was exposed, the tin lid had been reduced to dust, the silver dollars and coins of lesser denominations were severely oxidized and the first-hand accounts of the Great Fire of '56 had all broken into flakes.
"It was very disappointing," Cottrell said.
The capsule's contents now reside in an evidence locker at the Nevada City Police Department, but that may not be the end of the story.
Cottrell said he plans to recommend the city place a new time capsule in the cornerstone cavity when the restoration project closes down. Some of the coins from the tin box would be put in the new capsule along with items that reflect Nevada City in the 21st century.
And this time, Cottrell said, they will seal it.
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