Robert E. Lee Time Capsule To Be Opened At Historic Resources Lab In Richmond

RICHMOND, VA — A time capsule from 1887 found in the pedestal that formerly held the statue of Robert E. Lee on Monument Avenue in Richmond will be opened on Wednesday.

A historic preservation team will open the capsule at noon at the Department of Historic Resources lab, at 2801 Kensington Avenue in Richmond, according to the office of Gov. Ralph Northam.

The 1887 time capsule was discovered last Friday by crews disassembling the pedestal. The time capsule was found about 20 feet above ground level in the pedestal’s tower, not in the base.

Historians believe a time capsule was placed inside the pedestal on Oct. 27, 1887. Records from the Library of Virginia indicate that 37 Richmond residents, organizations and businesses contributed about 60 objects to the capsule, many of which are believed to be related to the Confederacy.

The bronze figure of Lee riding his horse came down on Sept. 8 and was hauled away in pieces on a truck. Left behind was the 40-foot pedestal covered with graffiti from last summer's racial justice protests.

Northam originally planned to keep the pedestal in place. But earlier this month, he announced plans to remove the enormous pedestal and transfer ownership of the grassy island in the middle of a traffic circle on Monument Avenue where the statue was located to the city of Richmond.

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