Century-Old Time Capsule Unveiled at Kansas City's WWI Museum

A bomb squad ensured the safe opening of the 1924 time capsule containing historical artifacts and letters from President Coolidge.

The time capsule, buried at the Liberty Memorial Tower in 1924, was opened after careful extraction from 18 inches of concrete and limestone.
Concerns over nitrate film prompted the involvement of a bomb squad to safely open the capsule without risking fire.
Artifacts revealed included a letter from President Calvin Coolidge, the 1917 Declaration of War, and a copy of the U.S. Constitution.
Additional contents featured crop seeds, a Bible, and a copper plate of a 1921 Kansas City Star newspaper front page.
The National WWI Museum plans to create a new time capsule to be buried in 2026, inviting community input on its contents.