Published by The Boston Globe
When Needham built its town hall over a century ago, officials buried a copper time capsule in the cornerstone.
Emery Grover, namesake of the school administration building, and others sang hymns, recited prayers, and presented tools to the architects. They poured corn, wine, and oil over the burial as a symbolic blessing, according to a program surviving from the ornate Sept. 2, 1902 ceremony.
In a final touch, they made ‘‘an application of jewels to the corner-stone.’’
On Saturday night, during the kick-off weekend for the town’s yearlong tercentennial celebration, the capsule was finally opened.
Thoughout the day, residents speculated what would be inside, from buried treasure to old grocery lists. They wondered what the mouldered keepsakes might reveal about Needham at the turn of the 20th century.
“I’m curious to know what people 100 years ago thought we’d find interesting,” said Jill Oetheimer. “It’s not that old, just a third of our history, but it’s interesting nonetheless.”
Ten-year-old Evan Anderson, however, thought he knew what the capsule held.
“There’s probably going to be a newspaper about the time then,” he said. “There wasn’t as many electric things.”
Before the opening, hundreds of residents sat around a stage on the high school football field watching a group of dancers donned in silver sequins and red, white, and blue hats. State Senator Richard Ross congratulated the town for turning 300 and read a piece of Senate legislation recognizing the importance of Needham’s historical landmarks.
Finally, officials took the stage.
Board of Selectmen chairman John Bulian and Town Manager Kate Fitzpatrick held the faded grayish green box, 7 by 10 inches square and 6 inches deep, with protective gloves and invited people to move closer.
The crowd ran forward, children sprinting to the front of the stage and adults shouting they couldn’t see. Then, after everyone settled down, the capsule was opened.
The first item to come out was a copy of The Needham Recorder, a 4-cent newspaper in crisp condition.
Another newspaper called the Needham Chronicle, which cost 5 cents, came next. The paper was dated May 31, 1902, signed by the editor and included stories about the new town hall, the cornerstone, and a soldiers’ monument dedication.
‘‘There is a question among printers as to the quality of this paper,’” Bulian read from a paper in the capsule to laughs from the audience. The original papermakers will never know that the programs, envelopes, and cards placed in the capsule were quite well preserved.
A map of the town, crumbling books of Town Meeting records, and a telephone catalogue listing the first phones came out, one by one. Bulian held up a directory of all the phone numbers in town, which was a single page long and contained numbers like “G. A. Adams, 44-2.”
Programs for clubs and societies around town included the Monday Club, the Sons of Temperance, and the Tea and Toast Club for women.
When a list of residents qualified to vote in town, county, and state elections came out of the capsule, people in the crowd shouted, “Are there any women on that list?”
“Only men,” said Bulian. “But wait… there’s a separate list…”
Bulian pulled out a list of women in town qualified to vote that year, and everyone clapped and cheered.
“…the list is of women qualified to vote for school committee only,” said Bulian. Everyone laughed.
The time capsule was removed Oct. 28 from inside the cornerstone of Town Hall, which is currently undergoing $18 million in renovations, said Sandy Cincotta, assistant to the town manager.
The town knew about the time capsule from the program, “Order of Exercises for the Laying of the Corner-stone of the Town Hall,” and old newspapers in the Needham Historical Society library, said Cincotta.
The cornerstone was hidden behind the wheelchair ramp at Town Hall, but workers were able to cut the date out of the stone and remove the box during renovations, she said.
The items from the time capsule will be on display for the public, but officials aren’t sure where yet. The Needham 300 committee plans to bury a new time capsule in the new Town Hall sometime this year.
They are still planning what to put inside.
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