A time capsule filled with objects and historical materials provides a snapshot of a particular time and place. Buried within a building or memorial as it is constructed, the contents of the container offer a tangible connection between past and present. The National Cemetery Administration (NCA) has documentation on the time capsules that were occasionally imbedded in national cemetery monuments. In 2010, however, masons working on the Soldiers and Sailors Monument at Togus National Cemetery, Maine, unexpectedly discovered one.
All cemeteries—designated as national cemeteries in 1973—affiliated with the eleven oldest branches of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers (NHDVS) feature a prominent monument, typically in the shape of an obelisk, erected several years after the Civil War. The cemetery at the Eastern Branch-NHDVS in Togus lacked such a memorial, to the distress of Luther Stephenson, governor of the branch. About 2,000 Veterans resided at the home. A group of them took matters into their own hands and erected a 26-foot-tall granite-block obelisk in 1889. They built it using stone quarried on the grounds. The 1890 National Home annual report commended the outcome: “The monument is very handsome in its rough simplicity, and is a source of pride to the men.” What went unreported was that the builders placed a time capsule inside.
The copper box, measuring 10”x 7”x 3”, was found to contain regional newspapers, National Home annual reports, and photographs. Despite the soldered lead seams, water had infiltrated the box and much of the contents were unsalvageable. To the delight of NCA historians who examined the container, however, seven members of the National Home’s engineering office had proudly autographed the box’s paper lining with their names and information about their military service. Most had served in Civil War regiments from Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and New York.
Also found within the monument were a green glass bottle with a rolled letter inside and the bowl of a smoking pipe. The National Cemetery Administration rededicated the Soldiers and Sailors Monument on September 15, 2010. Then-Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Steve Muro used the ceremony to place a new time capsule under the capstone for future generations to uncover. This watertight container is an ammo box that NCA historians painted “VA blue” and filled with newspapers, challenge coins, brochures about VA and NCA, and letters from VA leadership.
By Sara Amy Leach
Senior Historian, National Cemetery Administration
Share this story
Related Stories
History of VA in 100 Objects
Object 84: Gettysburg Address Tablet
President Abraham Lincoln is one of the most revered figures in American history. Rankings of U.S. presidents routinely place him at or near the top of the list. Lincoln is also held in high esteem at VA. His stirring call during his second inaugural address in 1865 to “care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan” embodies the nation’s promise to all who wear the uniform, a promise VA and its predecessor administrations have kept ever since the Civil War.
Ever since Lincoln first uttered those memorable words in November 1863, the Gettysburg Address has been linked to our national cemeteries. In 1908, Congress approved a plan to produce a standard Gettysburg Address tablet to be installed in all national cemeteries in time for the centennial of President Lincoln’s birth on February 12, 1909.
History of VA in 100 Objects
Object 83: First Liver Transplantation at VA Hospital
Prior to the 1960s, liver failure always ended in death. In May 1963, however, Dr. Thomas E. Starzl made medical history at the VA hospital in Denver, Colorado, when he performed the first liver transplantation on a patient who survived the operation.
Starzl's continued to refine his procedure, becoming a leading expert on liver transplants. The success rate for early transplants wasn't optimal, but that didn't stop him from researching new techniques and post-care practices. These innovations, coupled with new medications, improved the effectiveness and life-saving measures of that vital transplant surgery.
History of VA in 100 Objects
Object 82: LGBTQ+ Monument in Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer monuments adorn cemeteries across the United States, but only two are in national cemeteries maintained by VA. At Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Ellwood, Illinois, a four-foot-tall monument bears witness to the honorable service of LGBTQ+ Veterans. A smaller monument in the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona in Phoenix recognizes all persons who have served their country with “courage and pride” throughout American history.
