Excitement turned into disappointment Sunday evening in Harrisburg when members of the Lions Club unearthed a 50-year-old time capsule. The plan was to remove the capsule, but wait until the following Saturday to open it before the public during the Harrisburg Augustfest.

The atmosphere buzzed with anticipation from the roughly two dozen people who attended the capsule’s removal. Although several remember the burial of the time capsule 50 years ago, most had no recollection of its contents, and no records exist from that time.

Zach Sublett manned a backhoe to bring the large slab of concrete to the surface. Several men pounded on the concrete with sledgehammers, and a concrete saw was employed. Finally, after several whacks with the backhoe’s scoop, a hole appeared. 

The capsule itself appeared to be a toolbox, wrapped in plastic and encased in concrete. Water had entered the box, causing it to rust, and ruined nearly every item inside.

Johnny Spry, one of the organizers of the unearthing, pulled out photos, what appeared to be coins, a school ribbon with a bell attached, a kitchen tile commemorating the 100th anniversary of the town of Harrisburg, and political buttons from 1971. 

“I thought that thing was going to be a treasure chest,” Spry said after removing the items. “I know everybody’s disappointed. I was anticipating more.”

Spry said he thought the capsule might have contained messages from people in 1971. A history of Harrisburg, written by Brent Voorheis, was also included but did not survive the water damage.

Voorheis was a high school junior at Harrisburg in 1970. He recalled being allowed by his teacher to conduct a study of the history of Harrisburg rather than write a term paper during his senior year, which concluded in the spring of 1971. Serendipitously, he discovered that 1971 would be the town’s centennial. 

“That kind of started the interest in having a centennial in 1971,” said Voorheis.

A committee was quickly formed and a celebration was planned. Voorheis still has $1 “stock” certificates that were sold to fund the event.

Items were collected and the time capsule was buried. It was hoped to reveal the long-forgotten contents when the town celebrates its 150th anniversary the next weekend (see related story on page 8).

Voorheis and members of the Lions Club are planning this week to put together a slew of items showcasing the history of Harrisburg. They will be on display at the Augustfest this weekend.

Spry said that sometime in the fall, another time capsule will be placed in the ground.