{"id":15131,"date":"2026-06-15T16:01:39","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T16:01:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=15131"},"modified":"2026-06-15T16:01:39","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T16:01:39","slug":"a-diamond-a-whale-bone-and-lots-of-letters-whats-inside-the-america-250-time-capsule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=15131","title":{"rendered":"A diamond, a whale bone and lots of letters: What\u2019s inside the America 250 time capsule"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

By HOLLY RAMER<\/strong><\/p>\n

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) \u2014 Paper, the traditional gift for marking a couple\u2019s first year of marriage, also is a great choice for 250th anniversaries \u2014 especially when filling a time capsule celebrating American independence.<\/p>\n

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The 2016 law creating the nonpartisan America250 commission mandated that a time capsule be buried in Philadelphia on July 4, 2026, and dug up 250 years later in 2276. Last week, the resulting 900-pound cylinder was sealed shut, capping years of technical design and construction, collaboration with states and meticulous review of collected items.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce it was closed, it was a little bit anti-climactic, and then it was kind of really emotional,\u201d said Michael Berilla, who directs the fabrication technology office at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and led the team that designed and built the capsule.<\/p>\n

Designed to stay dry<\/h4>\n

Berilla\u2019s office, part of the Department of Commerce, has built encasements to protect historical documents in the past, but those tend to be stored indoors under carefully controlled conditions. With time capsules, the number one enemy is water, so much of the design work focused on how to keep it out.<\/p>\n

The stainless steel capsule is shaped like a cylinder, not the typical box, because square edges tend to crack and break. It will be covered with a secondary cylinder that will trap air and push out any approaching water, and the capsule itself is rimmed with a soft metal that compresses under pressure.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you smash it shut with the lid, that metal goes into all the cracks and spaces and makes an airtight, watertight seal,\u201d Berilla said.<\/p>\n

The items inside were at 35% relative humidity. That\u2019s moist enough to ensure they won\u2019t dry out and disintegrate, but dry enough that they won\u2019t create moisture problems. The capsule will be buried 10 feet below ground, safe from temperature fluctuations or storm damage, Berilla said.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cPhiladelphia would have to be six feet underwater in order for this time capsule to even possibly take on water,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd if Philly is six feet underwater, you\u2019ve got way bigger problems in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Filled with diversity<\/h4>\n

Inside the capsule are contributions from the three branches of the federal government, many of the ongoing America 250 events and programs, and all 50 states, the five U.S. territories and the District of Columbia. Most contents are in small archival boxes, while paper documents are in a separate compartment. According to a list posted on the America250 website Monday, archival quality paper was a particularly popular choice, with states submitting hundreds of letters, postcards, posters, poems and other printed material.<\/p>\n

In a nod to its past, New Hampshire submitted a brochure featuring a timeline of major events in the state\u2019s Revolutionary War history. California looked to the future, including the answer it got when it asked an AI ChatBot, \u201cWrite me a prediction of what California will be like 250 years from July 4, 2026.\u201d Highways will be gone, grizzly bears will be back, and the entire state will secede and join Oregon, Washington and British Columbia to form the \u201cPacific Federation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some states went all out. Utah sent 100 cards featuring historical citizens, 13 coins, eight documents, eight pins, two granite disks and a booklet. Arizona used nano-etching technology to put the full text of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution on a stainless steel coin. Other submissions were more bare bones, literally. Maine\u2019s submission included a bone from the endangered North Atlantic right whale. Arkansas sent a diamond.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

The variety was fascinating, said Tom Medema, a retired National Park Service official and project manager for the time capsule.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019m glad there wasn\u2019t really a prescription for it,\u201d he said. \u201cI know that was hard for them, but in the end, it was just up to them to represent themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anything that might degrade or metals that would rust over time was forbidden: Maryland\u2019s submission of Old Bay seasoning was rejected, while Native American beaded artwork backed by elk hide was resubmitted on a fabric background.<\/p>\n

Some of the items reflect dark historical times, Medema said, as well as the nation\u2019s current challenges. But an air of optimism still surrounded the project.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s great hope in what this capsule represents and the messages that are put in it,\u201d he said. \u201cSomething about this capsule has been truly uplifting for everyone who\u2019s been involved in it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking back and ahead<\/h4>\n

This isn\u2019t the first national time capsule tied to the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.<\/p>\n

A \u201cCentury Safe\u201d filled in 1876 was opened by President Gerald Ford in 1976. That year in turn saw the creation of an official Bicentennial time capsule, which is stored at the National Archives and will be opened in 2076. And there\u2019s another time capsule in the works that will be housed at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center.<\/p>\n

To ensure the America 250 capsule is found in 2276, the National Park Service has included details about it in its succession plans to be passed down through time. A capstone with information about it will cover the spot where it\u2019s buried.<\/p>\n

Berilla, who helped build the capsule, said when he thinks back to what America was like 250 years ago, he thinks about resilience.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd when I think forward to the future, I hope that\u2019s what they see from us,\u201d he said. \u201cThat, yes, we had it hard compared to them, but more importantly, we were diverse. We were interesting. We were creative. We worked together.\u201d<\/p>\n

The capsule contains a photo of his team and a letter he wrote on their behalf.<\/p>\n

\u201cGreetings from the living, breathing hearts and hands of 2026,\u201d Berilla wrote. \u201cWe will have long since returned to dust, but our devotion, pride, and unwavering hope for what our world could become are alive right here inside this steel. We built this for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more A Trump stronghold grapples with health risks of ICE detention sites<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A 900-pound time capsule marking the 250th anniversary of American independence has been sealed shut and shipped to Philadelphia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15130,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-based-on-facts-either-observed-and-verified-directly-by-the-reporter-or-reported-and-verified-from-knowledgeable-sources","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nA diamond, a whale bone and lots of letters: What\u2019s inside the America 250 time capsule - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=15131\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A diamond, a whale bone and lots of letters: What\u2019s inside the America 250 time capsule - 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