Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, and William Scollay buried a time capsule in Boston more than 200 years ago, and right now we're finally seeing inside.
Opening up the capsule took more than four hours because of some difficult screws on its top, according to CNN.
"Tonight is a new chapter in a story that began in 1795," Malcolm Rogers, director of Boston's Museum of Fine Arts told CNN.
The capsule has been unearthed once before, in 1855 while repairs were being made to the State House. It was then put back in its place and left there, the State House News Service notes.
Guardian Reporter Alan Yuhas helped us see the mysteries inside:
Newspapers, an inscription -- no ghosts or face melting #bostontimecapsulepic.twitter.com/g2OMe3jrNZ
— Alan Yuhas (@AlanYuhas) January 6, 2015
Coins from 1853, 1855, couple dimes, three-cent piece, pennies, and a 'quardollar' (sic I swear) #bostontimecapsulepic.twitter.com/0GiMSKNU2A
— Alan Yuhas (@AlanYuhas) January 6, 2015
Three-cent pieces were hoarded during the civil war for their silver, conservator Matt says #bostontimecapsulepic.twitter.com/wUwTSOSZZd
— Alan Yuhas (@AlanYuhas) January 6, 2015
'Now I'm excited' and conservator Pam lifts a little off her seat in excitement #bostontimecapsulepic.twitter.com/Dn1WasKQAi
— Alan Yuhas (@AlanYuhas) January 6, 2015
Silver plate imprinted in 1795, maybe Paul Revere made, laid by Sam Adams #bostontimecapsulepic.twitter.com/gA72ghd7ic
— Alan Yuhas (@AlanYuhas) January 7, 2015Tough to say whether Paul Revere, famous night rider, propagandist and silversmith, made the silver plate, says Matt #bostontimecapsule
— Alan Yuhas (@AlanYuhas) January 7, 2015Here are a couple photos of workers digging the time capsule out of the state house back in the middle of December:
Extracting this old time capsule here at the State House is not an easy process. pic.twitter.com/WVOSn4QW0v
— Carl Stevens (@carlwbz) December 11, 2014
The time capsule, first buried by Paul Revere and Sam Adams, contains old coins and other old stuff. #wbzpic.twitter.com/wPEamGWnKW
— Carl Stevens (@carlwbz) December 11, 2014Old time capsules have been seen in Boston before.
Earlier this year, crews doing restoration work in the old State House, which is now a historical museum, found a time capsule from 1901 hidden beneath statues of a lion and a unicorn. The capsule contained letters, photographs, and newspaper articles in mint condition, according to NECN.
Back in the 18th century, the old State House was "the center of Boston ’s civic life" and "the scene of some of the most dramatic chapters in the lead-up to the American Revolution," according to The Bostonian Society.