Robert E. Lee Statue Time Capsules Disappoint 

In December 2021, Virginia historical conservators, state officials, reporters and a digital audience of more than 5,000 witnessed the opening a metal box buried in 1887 in the base of a Robert E. Lee statue. The box found at the statue, located in Richmond, Virginia, was the second one found in the stone base of the statue. The first box contained a wet book of fiction and a photograph of the stonemason who worked on the 1,500-pound granite pedestal the capsule had been stored in. There was more anticipation for the unexpected find of the second box. It was rumored there was a picture of Lincoln in his casket. Instead, there were silver coins, a waterlogged Bible, a compass, paper money, bullets and yellowed newspapers long out of print. Instead of a Lincoln photo, there was a very damp issue of Harper’s Weekly, dated April 29, 1865, showing a printed picture of what appeared to be someone next to Lincoln’s body.

Photo: Washingtonpost.com, Reuters