A Fire station crew in Marion, Ohio weren’t expecting to find a hidden time capsule from 1905, they simply wanted to preserve the building’s cornerstone for posterity when the old station was demolished. Nobody had the slightest idea it was there to be found.
Time capsule stuffed with history
The Marion Fire Department was thrilled to rescue a 118-year-old time capsule from the bulldozer. When their aging station was scheduled for demolition, the crew “wanted to remove the cornerstone of the building for preservation.”
A small group of them spent free time hammering and chiseling to free the block, once they pulled it free, they were startled to see a copper box nestled inside.
They held a public ceremony this week, to unveil the contents of the time capsule. It had been stuffed full of memorabilia. After breaking the seals with a pair of tin snips, “officials found nine turn-of-the-century firefighter badges, a fire department roster from 1905, and four local newspapers from 118 years ago.”
At Marion Fire Department Station 1 to find out what’s inside a time capsule dating back to 1905. It was discovered inside the cornerstone of the former Station 2 at Center & Davids streets. Big crowd here.@TheMarionStar pic.twitter.com/kxiZRyQNed
— Andrew AC Carter (@AndrewACCarter) May 31, 2023
Also in the box were “the original lease for the property from Marion Power Shovel to the City of Marion.”
There were a few other interesting items in the collection. The firefighters of 1905 considered it important to include “an 1878 invitation from the Delphos Fire Department for the Northwestern Ohio Volunteer Fireman’s Association Fireman’s Games” in their message capsule to the future.
The current fire chief when the building was erected included a letter attesting that “the cornerstone was set on July 20, 1905.”
An amazing find
Department officials couldn’t wait to get on Facebook to share the news about finding a time capsule from more than a hundred years ago. “What an amazing find! These items will be kept at the Marion County Historical Society while our new Station 1 is constructed and then eventually placed there in a display case.”
One local resident replied, “That is so awesome.” They’re thrilled to see everyone in the community taking an interest.
Another Marion local observed the new station should have one as well. “Y’all should make a time capsule with similar contents,” they commented. Someone else joined the conversation to agree, “that would be cool.”
Local residents look at the artifacts found inside the time capsule retrieved from the former Marion Fire Department Station 2. Department personnel rosters and firefighter badges were among the artifacts inside the capsule.@TheMarionStar pic.twitter.com/JgVMUV2wfT
— Andrew AC Carter (@AndrewACCarter) May 31, 2023
Another really enjoyed the unveiling of the historic treasures. “Thank you for allowing us to watch! I was surprised there was so much history in that little box.”
The local fire fighters are amazed at both the level of interest in their work and in local history. They never imagined something without gunfire and explosions would attract such social media attention.
“Call me a dork. I love this kind of stuff. I’m so glad you were able to share this find with your folks,” on of their Facebook friends posted. “It was great being able to watch the opening and reveal of all this outstanding history!” Another typed. The department made them all happy by confirming there “sure is” a plan to put another time capsule box in the new facility.
