Creating a modern-day time capsule can be a great way to capture your community’s character, from preserving your neighborhood’s rich history online to sealing up treasured mementos for future generations to unearth in years to come.
When the town of Hillman City, Washington, gathered at the Rainier Avenue Church to celebrate the Hillman City Time Capsule Project on February 2, 2007 (the city’s centennial), neighbors and friends came in droves to celebrate their hometown while peeking at the time capsule’s contents and contributing a few last-minute items, from family photos to a well-loved set of My Little Pony dolls.
The city put together a time capsule filled with city records and relevant items to the town’s current culture as one big multimedia letter to the citizens of Hillman City in 2057.
Starting a time capsule for your city
“It is easy to forget how quickly things change, including the things that people value,” says Eleanor Boba, executive director of the Rainier Valley Historical Society just north of Columbia City, who encourages other cities to preserve their own histories as well. “Creating a time capsule gives a community a chance to think about how they’d like to be remembered and what values they represent.”
Tips for getting started include:
Secure a location for the capsule by getting the proper paperwork from city officials.
Solicit items from neighbors by creating a Facebook page (modern ideas could include Starbucks cups, the latest tween book series, etc.). If there’s a lot of interest, consider including lists that contain answers to questions like “What do you think life will be like in 2057?” and “What has been most important to you this year and why?”
Settle on a soirée for the digging ceremony with games for the kiddos and last-minute entry contests for the adults (most obscure item in a purse gets to go in the capsule!).
Set up an online time capsule! Sites like myheartwill.com make it easy to create a time capsule online with a time lock that keeps future generations at bay until the selected opening date. Virtual items could include stories, photos, certificates, documents, videos, and audio recordings to give future generations a feel for what life was like in your day.
Create a modern time capsule this New Year
Creating a modern-day time capsule can be a great way to capture your community’s character, from preserving your neighborhood’s rich history online to sealing up treasured mementos for future generations to unearth in years to come.
When the town of Hillman City, Washington, gathered at the Rainier Avenue Church to celebrate the Hillman City Time Capsule Project on February 2, 2007 (the city’s centennial), neighbors and friends came in droves to celebrate their hometown while peeking at the time capsule’s contents and contributing a few last-minute items, from family photos to a well-loved set of My Little Pony dolls.
The city put together a time capsule filled with city records and relevant items to the town’s current culture as one big multimedia letter to the citizens of Hillman City in 2057.
Starting a time capsule for your city
“It is easy to forget how quickly things change, including the things that people value,” says Eleanor Boba, executive director of the Rainier Valley Historical Society just north of Columbia City, who encourages other cities to preserve their own histories as well. “Creating a time capsule gives a community a chance to think about how they’d like to be remembered and what values they represent.”
Tips for getting started include: