Hide Transcript Show Transcript

KRISTEN: WHEN THE DERRY LIBRARY DIRECTOR STARTED FIVE YEARS AGO, THE TOWN’S TIME CAPSULE WHICH WAS SEALED IN 1969, SAT SAFELY ON THIS SHELF IN THE LIBRARY. >> NOBODY TOUCH IT UNTIL LAST SPRING. KRISTEN: ON THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY, THE DIRECTOR, CARA POTTER, OPENED IT WITH THE HELP OF TOWN STAFF. >> I WAS CONSIDERING RUNNING A LIBRARY PROGRAM AROUND OPENING IT SO I WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE COULD PHYSICALLY DO THAT. KRISTEN: THE COMBINATION FOR THE SAFE WAS CONVENIENTLY POSTED ON THE BACK ON THE CAPSULE. >> IT TOOK SEVERAL TRIES TO GET IT OPEN BECAUSE WE HAVE THE COMBINATION AND IT IS AN OLDER SAFE. THERE WERE A NUMBER OF STAFF PEOPLE STANDING AROUND WATCHING. KRISTEN: TO EVERYONE’S SURPRISE, IT WAS EMPTY. >> WE WERE A LITTLE HORRIFIED TO FIND IT WAS NOTHING IN IT. KRISTEN: DERRY HISTORIANS AND TOWN OFFICIALS WERE NOTIFIED, AND TURNS OUT NO ONE HOLDS A LIST OF WHAT WAS ORIGINALLY PUT INSIDE. THE CAPSULE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DISPLAYED AT THE OLD HOME DAY CELEBRATION IN LONDONDERRY THIS PAST WEEKEND. POTTER WAS TOLD THE TIME CAPSULE WAS KEPT AT THE OLD MUNICIPA BUILDING IN TOWN. WHEN IT WAS TORN DOWN, IT WAS BROUGHT HERE TO THE LIBRARY , WHERE IT HAS BEEN EVER SINCE. OFFICIALS SAY THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHO COULD HAVE OPENED IT AND TAKEN THE ITEMS INSIDE. >> IT COULD HAVE HAPPENED AT ANY POINT. WE HAVE SPECULATED THAT NOTHING GOT PUT IN IN THE FIRST PLACE. KRISTEN: A NUMBER OF TOWN KEEPSAKES THAT WILL NOW ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED AS A MYSTERY. >> BECAUSE IT WAS 50 YEARS AGO, WE ARE SPECULATING THAT COULD HAVE BEEN SOME ALAN SHEPARD ITEMS. THE 50 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE MOON LANDING. WE WON’T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM. KRIS

Advertisement Derry time capsule opened to reveal nothing Town officials say they don't know what capsule originally contained Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A time capsule in Derry that was sealed 50 years ago was recently opened to reveal its contents -- nothing.Library director Cara Potter said that since she started at the library five years ago, the capsule sat safely on a shelf."No one touched it until last spring," she said.On the 50th anniversary of when the capsule was sealed in 1969, Potter opened it with the help of town staff."I was considering running a library program around opening it, and I wanted to open it to see if we could physically do that," she said.The combination for the safe was posted on the back on the capsule."It took us several tries to get it open," Potter said. "We had the combination, but it is an older safe, so by the time we actually got it open, there was a number of staff people standing around watching."To everyone's surprise, it was empty."We were a little horrified to find that there was nothing in it," Potter said.Derry historians and town officials were notified, but no one holds a list of what was originally put inside.The capsule was supposed to be displayed at the Old Home Day celebration in Londonderry last weekend.Potter said she was told the time capsule was kept at the old municipal building in town. When it was torn down, it was brought to the library, where it has been ever since.Officials said they have no idea who could have opened it and taken the items inside."It could have happened at any point," Potter said. "We have even speculated that nothing was actually put in there in the first place. We just don't know."Potter said she can only guess at what might have once been in the capsule."Because it was 50 years ago, we were speculating that there could have been some Alan Shepard items in there, because that was around 50 years ago," she said. "It was just the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, so we just won't know what happened to them."