1920s time capsule discovered at Oakland school, contains sensational headlines and a scarf

A time capsule from 1927 was opened on Friday in Oakland. It had been found during construction at an elementary school, and was filled mostly with paper ephemera from the era, says Liam O'Donoghue of East Bay Yesterday. less A time capsule from 1927 was opened on Friday in Oakland. It had been found during construction at an elementary school, and was filled mostly with paper ephemera from the era, says Liam O'Donoghue of East Bay ... more Photo: Photo Courtesy Of Liam O'Donoghue / East Bay Yesterday Photo: Photo Courtesy Of Liam O'Donoghue / East Bay Yesterday Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close 1920s time capsule discovered at Oakland school, contains sensational headlines and a scarf 1 / 15 Back to Gallery

Students at an Oakland elementary school got a look at what life looked like more than 90 years ago, thanks to a surprise discovery of a time capsule buried in 1927.

Hoping to find "treasures" inside the box, the children were disappointed, but the find nevertheless fascinated teachers, parents, and friends like Liam O'Donoghue of East Bay Yesterday, who documented the opening last week.

The box was unearthed during construction work at Glenview Elementary School in Oakland, and was opened on Friday in front of fourth graders currently attending the school.

Inside the box were school guidebooks as well as front pages of newspapers printed by the Oakland Tribune — now the East Bay Times — and the Post Enquirer, which was in operation from 1921 to 1950.

Unfortunately, blunt headlines like "Alameda Couple Perish in Gas" and "Anti-hanging judge to be Saved by Writ from Sentencing Slayer" didn't interest the kids, nor did a mysterious square blue scarf tucked into the box.

Nevertheless, the school is now considering what to do with the ephemera. As ABC 7 reports, administrators will probably either hand them off to a local museum, or put them on display at Glenview.

Alyssa Pereira is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at apereira@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @alyspereira.

