The unearthing of a time capsule buried 50 years ago in Greenwood will have to wait another day — and questions remain about when people who placed items inside might be able to reclaim them.
A crowd of about 100 people, some of whom had driven hours to be at the event, had gathered Monday around the concrete base of the Confederate monument at the Leflore County Courthouse, where the capsule was buried.
People had hoped to get a glimpse of what was inside, and some wanted to take home items that they had placed there. Instead, they left disappointed as the digging was delayed untl Tuesday.
The capsule was to be unearthed as part of the county’s sesquicentennial. The county was established in 1871 during the Reconstruction era and named for Greenwood Leflore, the Choctaw chief and state senator.
Starting around 2:10 p.m. Monday, two workers used a saw and jackhammer to cut and pry through the concrete base in order to dig up the time capsule, which was buried beneath. However, as their work dragged on and the crowd of people thinned out, it became apparent that the capsule would not be dug up Monday.
Leflore County District 2 Supervisor Reginald Moore, who’s also the board’s president, called the ceremony off around 3:30 p.m. as the supervisors had a meeting at 4 p.m.
“We’ll come back in another 100 years” to unearth the time capsule, Moore joked.
In all seriousness, he said the decision to stop using a saw and jackhammer on the concrete base was made to avoid damaging the capsule or its contents.
Moore said the county would bring its engineer, Shane Correro, who was out of town Monday, to the site Tuesday to help.
Marti Dulin, 52, who had driven from her home in Madison to see what her family members had buried, said she was “disappointed” and unsure whether she would return Tuesday.
Originally from Itta Bena, Dulin said she believes her parents may have left family mementos inside the capsule when it was buried in 1971 during a centennial celebration of the founding of Leflore County.
Moore said after Monday’s ceremony that he was optimistic the capsule could be unearthed Tuesday with Correro’s help. Assuming that happens, Moore said, the contents of the time capsule would be revealed at 2 p.m. Wednesday near the excavation site.
Both Moore and Katie Mills, director of the Museum of the Mississippi Delta, said once the capsule is unearthed, the contents will be emptied out, taken to the museum, logged and documented — a process that would take a few days.
A few people in the crowd became upset after Moore told them the contents of the capsule belonged to the county. The county supervisors discussed this issue during their meeting Monday.
The board voted unanimously to have the items transferred to the museum. After this vote, the supervisors debated how to distribute the contents to those families who want to reclaim what they placed.
“I feel that they should be allowed to reclaim their items,” Moore said. “The only thing that we ask is that you allow Ms. Katie Mills to photograph and do an inventory, and then you can decide to claim your items or donate your items.”
Robert Collins, the board’s vice president, said he believed the items were county property. “Why would you want to place something in the courthouse lawn that you want … years later?” he said. “That doesn’t make sense.”
District 4 Supervisor Eric Mitchell said no decision should be made until after the board and public can see what is in the capsule. District 1 Supervisor Sam Abraham said perhaps certified copies of the items would be a good alternative, especially if multiple parties wanted the same one, such as the schools and classes that placed objects in the capsule as a group. “We need to know legally where we stand,” Abraham said.
Like Dulin, Elizabeth Veazey, 81, had driven to Greenwood from out of town for the ceremony and was disappointed that she’d be leaving Greenwood without any family treasures.
She and her husband, Bob, now live in Oxford. Veazey said she lived in Greenwood for a time and was present for the county’s centennial celebration.
She said she remembered paying $1 for a large envelope in which to put personal items for the capsule.
Veazey doesn’t remember what she put in her envelope but speculates it may be family pictures. She said she would like to give those pictures to her children, who would then be able to give it to their children. “I was disappointed when they said we wouldn’t be able to take our possessions with us,” Veazey said.
She said she’s not in the best health and can’t travel often.
“It’s mine, not theirs,” she said, also expressing disappointment that the time capsule wasn’t dug up Monday. “I didn’t think I’d still be alive in 50 years.”
Greenwood resident Johnny Favara, 82, recalled the bicentennial celebration. He doesn’t recall what he had buried in the time capsule but had speculated it may be photos or some coins.
On Monday, he said to the crowd, “I was proud to be a part of it. We never thought we’d live to see this day.”
Now people will just have to wait a little longer until the time capsule is unearthed.
- Contact Gerard Edic at 581-7239 or gedic@gwcommonwealth.com. Staff writer Adam Bakst, who contributed to this report, can be reached at 581-7233 or abakst@gwcommonwealth.com.
