Asheville and Buncombe County will install a new time capsule under the Vance Monument during a 6:30 p.m. Sept. 18 ceremony in downtown Asheville. The 2115 Asheville Buncombe Time Capsule replaces an 1896 time capsule that was unearthed earlier this year during the restoration of the Vance Monument. The new time capsule will be opened in 100 years, in 2115.
The ceremony will also include a display of the 2115 time capsule contents, plus an exhibit of materials that came out of the former time capsule. A second set of the 2115 time capsule contents will be on display in the lobby of city hall beginning Sept. 21 through the end of October. The photo above shows some of the artifacts submitted for inclusion in the time capsule.
The 2115 Time Capsule contains a snapshot of what makes Asheville and Buncombe County unique in 2015, and will communicate what life was like to 2115 Ashevillians in areas such as diversity, business, social issues, culture and heritage, tourism and demographics.
The 2115 Time Capsule Project benefitted from public participation in that the people of Asheville and Buncombe County were invited to make recommendations on the content of the time capsule. Over 165 people weighed in with their comments. The Time Capsule Selection Panel, consisting of 20 volunteers, made the final selection based on suitability, size, and compatibility of materials that will survive for 100 years. People were also invited to sign a Citizen Roll Call, resulting in a compilation of 1,000 signatures which will be placed in the time capsule.
Asheville’s first time capsule was placed under the cornerstone of the Vance Monument by the North Carolina Grand Lodge of Masons as part of the monument construction in 1896. The contents, including items such as newspapers, a Bible and coins, are archived with the Western Regional Archives of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. The coins from the 1896 time capsule will be placed inside the 2115 time capsule.
For more information visit the Asheville Buncombe Time Capsule Project page on the City of Asheville website.
For information, contact Debbie Ivester at 828-259-5804, divester@ashevillenc.gov.
