The time capsule buried under the toppled monument of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Richmond that is purported to contain a photo of Abraham Lincoln may finally see the light of day - a week after crews searching for the long-lost treasure dug up a different box.
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam on Monday evening tweeted X-rays from inside the time capsule and said that it would likely be opened Tuesday afternoon along with what the box holds.
'X-rays give a first look inside the time capsule: Experts believe there may be coins, books, buttons, and even ammunition from the Civil War,' the outgoing Democrat tweeted.
'The box will be opened tomorrow at 1:00 PM!,' he added.
This handout photo obtained on December 27, 2021 from the official Twitter account of Virginia Governor Ralph Northam shows the X-ray image of a time capsule that was found last week in Washington DC in the granite pedestal of a statue erected in 1890 of General Robert E. Lee
Northam suggested that there may be coins, books, buttons and even ammunition from the Civil War inside the time capsule, which will be opened Tuesday afternoon
Northam earlier on Monday tweeted photos of a box being removed from the site and said conservators were studying the artifact, after a first time capsule turned out to be a stunt by the original stonemason.
'They found it! This is likely the time capsule everyone was looking for,' Northam tweeted.
It wasn't immediately clear what kind of condition any contents might be in, as the copper box was in a pool of standing water.
Crews wrapping up the removal of a giant pedestal that once held a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Richmond have found what appeared to be a second time capsule
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam on Monday tweeted photos of a box being removed from the site and said conservators were studying the artifact
The second box (above) was discovered a week after the first box pulled from the pedestal was found to be an apparent 'vanity project' inserted by the stonemason
The development marked the latest twist in a months-long search for the capsule, which contemporaneous news accounts indicate was placed during a cornerstone-laying ceremony in 1887 attended by thousands of people.
News accounts described its dozens of donated artifacts, including Confederate memorabilia.
Based on historical records, some have also speculated the capsule might contain a rare photo of deceased President Abraham Lincoln in his coffin.
Earlier this month, crews dismantling the pedestal found a time capsule embedded in a granite block that some initially thought might have been the one placed in 1887.
But after state conservators spent hours last week gingerly prying the box open, they didn´t find the expected trove of objects related to the Confederacy.
Instead, conservators pulled out a few waterlogged books, a silver coin and an envelope with some papers.
Last week, conservators found less than they expected when they meticulously pried open an 1887 time capsule that turned out to be an apparent stunt by the original stonemason. Governor Ralph Northam (center) was present during the unboxing
Instead of the 1887 time capsule they had hoped to find, state conservators found three water-damaged books, a coin, cloth envelope, and printed pages in the box embedded in the Richmond Confederate General Robert E. Lee statue's base (pictured)
The prevailing theory last week was that the lead box was left by a person - or persons - who oversaw the monument´s construction as a private 'vanity project'.
The search for the true 1887 time capsule resumed Monday.
Devon Henry, the contractor whose company was overseeing the removal, said the second box was found inside a granite enclosure basically at ground level, surrounded by fill and other construction material.
Workers pulled off the top of the granite enclosure to find the box, which appeared to be made of copper, sitting in water, Henry said.
The box was then covered in bubble wrap and transported by vehicle from the site for further study, he said.
The Lee statue, which depicted the general atop a horse, was erected on the soaring pedestal in 1890 in the former capital of the Confederacy. Its removal in September came more than a year after Northam ordered it in the wake of protests that erupted after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Officials initially searched for the capsule after removing a controversial statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in September, but were unable to find it at the time. It was discovered last Friday by crews removing the pedestal the statue once stood on
A pile of rubble is all that is left after the removal of the pedestal that once held the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee on Monument Ave., Thursday Dec. 23, 2021, in Richmond
Workers continued their search for a famed 1887 time capsule that was said to be buried under the massive monument. The first box found in the pedestal did not contain items described in historic papers
The statue was one of five enormous Confederate tributes along Monument Avenue, and the only one that belonged to the state. The four city-owned statues were taken down in 2020, but the Lee statue´s removal was blocked by two lawsuits until a ruling from the Supreme Court of Virginia in September cleared the way for it to be dismantled.
Crews searched for the time capsule then, digging and removing some massive stones, but were unable to locate it.
Henry said it was found Monday in the northeast corner of the pedestal, about 4 feet (1.2 meters) below the area initially searched.
Northam's administration initially planned to leave the pedestal in place but announced in early December that contractors would remove the behemoth, now covered in graffiti, and transfer the grassy traffic circle it inhabited to the city of Richmond. The administration has said it will be stored until 'next steps' have been determined.
Finalizing the removal work at the site will likely take another week, Henry said.
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