(CNN) While many uncovered time capsules remind people of a bygone era, one found underneath a Confederate statue in New Orleans revisits a time some may want to forget.

Curators at the Louisiana State Museum on Friday unveiled the contents of a copper box found underneath the base of the statue of Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard.

The equestrian statue of Beauregard was taken down by a crane more than a year ago after a contentious public battle . The time capsule was found on July 25, after the base of the statue was removed.

Work to dismantle a statue of Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard was completed in May.

The time capsule contained Confederate memorabilia including photos of Confederate General Robert E. Lee and Confederate President Jefferson Davis, along with flags, currency, medals, ribbons and other paper items related the city.

Many of the contents were damaged by weather and time, but some were in surprisingly good condition. Museum curators said they had to dehumidify some of the items to separate them for display.

Sheet of five dollar currency issued by State of Louisiana found in statue time capsule is dated October, 1862

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