Ennyman's Territory: A Duluth Time Capsule Goes on Display at the Karpeles Manuscript Museum

Thursday, October 3, 2024

A Duluth Time Capsule Goes on Display at the Karpeles Manuscript Museum

The metal container after being pried open.

If you've never been present at the opening of a time capsule, then you are missing something special. The idea of it has to be fun, from deciding what to save for posterity to wondering what's inside when people open it up decades later.

This past Saturday Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum opened a time capsule that had been placed beneath the cornerstone of the former church building that now houses the museum. At the time, this had been the home for a Church of Christ, Scientist congregation that gathered here.

For those unfamiliar with this Duluth treasure, the Manuscript Library Museum is one of many around the country. This one, however, is unique because it's located in the town where David Karpeles graduated high school, Denfeld in Duluth West Side.

I heard about the time capsule only by chance last week. With a little free time on my hands I dropped in to see what the current themes were on dislay. Two of the featured exhibits were Florence Nightingale and the event that generated the famous poem "Charge of the Light Brigade." While there, local museum director Matthew Sjelin notified me of the weekend event.

I found the story intriguing because in 2007 I attended the opening of a time capsule in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A gold and white 1957 Plymouth Belvedere had been placed in a concrete vault that was to be opened in 2007. Boyd Coddington, an L.A. car-builder with a television show was on hand to help get the car started after its 50 year sleep. Inside the trunk were the "time capsule" contents.

So I was curious about the contents that had been hidden since 1912. First off, the container--a metal box--was smaller than I expected, but based on the quantity of books it contained the thing was really packed. A book of poetry by Mary Baker Eddy was one item that caught my eye. There were also newspapers from the day it was placed, as well as photos, Christian Science Journals, Bibles, letters and a sheet with signatures of all members of the congregation.

Here are some of the items they placed in the vault for posterity: