A time capsule buried near the Confederate monument at the Leflore County Courthouse 50 years ago will be unearthed April 26 as part of the observance of Leflore County’s 150th birthday.
Two canisters, each holding items placed by county residents, were buried in 1971 as part of the commemoration of the county’s centennial.
One canister was to be opened this month; the second was to be opened in 2071, when the county’s 200th birthday will be celebrated.
The Leflore County Board of Supervisors announced Monday that the first capsule will be opened at 2 p.m. April 26.
According to an article in the April 14, 1971, edition of the Commonwealth, for $1 residents could buy large envelopes into which they could put mementos for a capsule. “I wasn’t on that board then,” joked District 1 Supervisor Sam Abraham. “It seems like I was, but I wasn’t.”
County Engineer Shane Correro said he had spoken with a concrete company and was told it could remove the slab that protects the capsules for an estimated cost of $300.
In other business, the board approved the purchase of a new boat for the county’s emergency management agency.
Fred Randle, the county emergency management director, had been requesting a RescueONE Connector Boat, which he says will help with search-and-rescue operations.
A renewed push for the boat began after the disappearance in November of Wesley Haddon Jr., a 75-year-old commercial fisherman, whose body was found after a weeklong search in the Yazoo River.
The cost of the boat is $53,000, Randle said.
Also, the board returned to a conversation concerning county ordinances about chaining dogs outside.
Last week, Abraham said he has received complaints that dogs have been left chained to posts on metal leashes. The matter was tabled to allow more time to examine county procedures.
On Monday, Abraham said, “Right now we don’t have anything in our ordinances that says you can’t put them on a chain.”
He then said he would like to hear from the Leflore County Humane Society or a similar organization about the issue. The matter was then tabled again.
Lastly, the board went into a closed-door executive session to again discuss possible litigation. After the meeting, Board Attorney Joyce Chiles said no action had been taken.
- Contact Adam Bakst at 581-7233 or abakst@gwcommonwealth.com. On Twitter at @AdamBakst_GWCW.
