Old times there are not forgotten, at least not in DeKalb County after a lost treasure was rediscovered inside the DeKalb County Courthouse last week. A time capsule, that was placed in the courthouse just after construction has been located with its mystery contents unveiled.
County Mayor Matt Adcock said he discovered the time capsule in a storage area in the County Mayor’s office, but says he has no idea how long the copper box had been there.
“Searching through my closet in my office, I came across this mysterious box,” Adcock said. “I didn’t know what it was, so I took it to Rhonda Butler and she said that might be a time capsule. She said she had heard something about a time capsule before, but she suggested I contact Suzanne Williams and ask her.”
“So, I called Suzanne and she knew exactly what I was talking about. She rushed over here and we identified it as the time capsule. We also discovered that the original location was outside the building, behind the cornerstone of the courthouse. The stone was actually hollowed out on the back side in the same shape as the container we found,” Adcock explained.
Williams said she remembered when the time capsule was installed and had been searching for it over the years.
“I remember I wanted to go to the ceremony, but I didn’t get to go. I asked my daddy to give me every single detail. He told me who was there, and what they had said, and I just ate all that stuff up,” Williams said.
“In the later years I had been asking, ‘Where is this box?’ and no one even knew what I was talking about. As it started getting close to what would have been the 50th year, I really tried to find out where it was. I had been out trying to see if they buried it under a tree, or sidewalk, I just didn’t have a clue. My daddy had told me it had been in concrete. I think everyone was being mysterious about it so no one would come along and steal it.”
Originally, the time capsule had been located behind the dated cornerstone of the courthouse, which began construction in 1970. The courthouse was not completed until October 1971, and it was learned through the contents of the box that the time capsule had been placed in the cornerstone in January 1972.
Sometime in later years, the time capsule had been removed from its outdoor location and placed in storage inside the courthouse, possibly for fear of theft. It is not known when or why, but for many years the copper box floated around offices and storage areas inside the courthouse.
What’s inside the box? The copper box had been soldered shut and fearing the contents might have been destroyed it was opened to reveal its treasure.
The contents of the time capsule included:
- The DeKalb Citizen, Volume 1 No. 1, through Volume 2, No. 8
- The Smithville Review – seven editions
- A program of the first annual Chamber of Commerce Prayer Breakfast
- Over 100 photos of various scenes in DeKalb County
- A copy of the County Court Act establishing the Model Cities Program in DeKalb County
- A reel-to-reel tape recording of the History of the DeKalb County Courthouse by Mickey Driver. The tape was played several times over WJLE Radio prior to the courthouse dedication.
- One edition of the Nashville Tennessean from December 27, 1971
A note inside the time capsule states that, “The time capsule was prepared and sealed in December 1971, and was installed in the cornerstone of the courthouse in January 1972. It was prepared by Mickey Adair Driver of the Smithville-DeKalb County Model City Administration.”
Chamber of Commerce Director Suzanne Williams says plans are in the works to make some kind of display where all of the contents can be revealed. She says they are also talking about installing another time capsule that would be opened in another 50 years.
