The executive director of the Museum of the Mississippi Delta says the museum has been given a “momentous task” in handling the contents of a time capsule from 1971, but she’s glad to be part of it.
The time capsule, which had been buried under the Leflore County Courthouse lawn as part of an observation of Leflore County’s centennial, was unearthed Tuesday after two days of digging, along with another capsule that is to be opened in 2071.
During a ceremony Wednesday, Reginald Moore, president of the Leflore County Board of Supervisors, said the first capsule had not been buried properly and some items had been damaged by moisture. On Thursday, Moore said that “both capsules were breached and faced significant water damage.”
The contents inside both containers will have to be frozen to remove the moisture that has collected over the last five decades.
The supervisors unanimously agreed Monday to transfer the capsules to the museum.
Some in the community had expressed concern that the museum would be opening envelopes placed in the time capsule that had been addressed to specific people or families.
However, Moore emphasized Wednesday that this would not be the case.
Mills said the museum became involved only at the request of the supervisors.
“It is a shame that the Museum, whose Board, volunteers, and staff, work very hard, is being vilified. We are only doing what the Board of Supervisors asked us to do,” Mills said via text message on Thursday. “Thankfully, we were involved or many of those items might have been irretrievably damaged. I was able to reach out to our colleagues at the MDAH (Mississippi Department of Archives and History) who immediately got back to me on how to handle the items to hopefully salvage everything the best way possible.”
However, on Thursday, Mills said the museum “will have to respectfully decline any involvement with the preservation of the items in the 100-year capsule.”
“We have a Smithsonian exhibition coming up soon that we must prepare for and host,” she said. “Per the conservator, an inspection needs to be done of the 100-year capsule and if compromised, those with the decision-making authority need to act quickly to ensure those items are not lost.”
Mills said she is about one-fifth of the way through the artifacts in the 50-year capsule.
“I would say there will be about 250 envelopes ready to be picked up tomorrow,” she said. “I will say that I saw names I recognized as still being in the area, which is very exciting.”
Mills added that the controversy has obstructed the true meaning of this event.
“Let’s remember that this is an exciting time for Leflore County and a great opportunity for inter-generational conversations between families and friends. Let’s make the members of the 1971 Centennial Committee and those who worked so hard to make 2021 a special time for Leflore County proud,” Mills said. “Even if there were a few hiccups, at the end of the day we all want the same thing … to share and preserve the history of Leflore County for future generations.”
- Contact Adam Bakst at 581-7233 or abakst@gwcommonwealth.com. On Twitter at @AdamBakst_GWCW.
