“I think it was really amazing,” said Kaelan Brownstein, a firefighter with Columbus Fire and Rescue.
Brownstein and his fellow firefighter, Brandon McKay, both slightly out of breath, had just finished burying a time capsule Friday in the garden beside City Hall.
“I wasn’t around to see the one that they dug up in October, and I think it’s really cool. I’ve never been part of anything like this,” Brownstein added.
Just before Christmas Mayor Keith Gaskin announced his plan to bury a time capsule at City Hall. Back in October, a capsule that had been buried in the 1970s at Leigh Mall was unearthed, to great public fascination. That capsule was intended to be opened as part of the city’s bicentennial.
Gaskin said that event inspired him to do the same thing, but for the city’s 250th year. People were invited to donate artifacts for burial, and they were collected at City Hall up until Thursday afternoon.
“People have brought some really interesting things to put in the capsule, and (Public Information Officer Joe Dillon) has worked hard to make sure we get one that is waterproof,” Gaskin said.
The Leigh Mall capsule was full of water when it was opened, likely due to the massive flood that submerged the area soon after it was put in the ground.
Items submitted for Friday’s capsule included a dollar bill, several facemasks, a Bible, photo albums, newspapers and even an old flip phone, carefully sealed in a glass jar.
“We want people 50 years from now to see what life was like in 2021,” Gaskin said. “The fun thing about the opening in October was that the front row was (older people) and they were excited to see what was inside. Many of them remembered putting things in there when they were much younger. I envision that happening again in 50 years.”
Everything put in the time capsule was documented, Gaskin said, so family members would know that something was in there that might pertain to them.
“This is a way to connect to the city, and for people to feel connected,” he said. “This brings people together, and gives them something to look forward to.”
The donated items were laid out on a table for viewing before being packed into a waterproof box and sealed. Then Gaskin, Brownstein and McKay all took turns with a shovel, burying the box in the garden adjacent to the old police station entrance.
Gaskin said a two-foot-by-two-foot marker, prepared by Columbus Marble Works, would be installed to mark the site.
Brownstein said, if he’s still in Columbus, he plans on coming back to see it opened in 50 years.
“I’d love to see it dug up, I’d love to see the items that I put in there and that other people contributed to it,” he said.
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