Louisiana Time Capsules – A Fascinating Peak Into The Past

It's hard to imagine how different life must have been in the 50s, let alone 100+ years ago. I'm not sure who started the whole time capsule thing, but it was a great idea and the next best thing to having a time machine.

Burring a capsule or box where it can be discovered is amazing in and of itself because some of these capsules are found in walls, under entire buildings, or in the ground surrounded by concrete. A good number were discovered by accident. With this in mind, I wonder how many have not been found or accidentally thrown away during home renovations.

It's just fascinating. Capsules have been found with clothes, medals, pictures, coins, flags, newspaper clippings, and other dated materials from when they were buried. This gives everyone a chance to see what life was like and find out what was important when the capsule was buried 50 to 100+ years ago.

Time capsules have been discovered in Louisiana many times. Most recently, a time capsule was opened in January 2020. The copper box was found in the walls of the Louisiana State Capitol building in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Interestingly enough, it was hidden in 1931 by Governor Huey P. Long and Capital architect Leon Weiss!

Side note -  Long commissioned Mr. Weiss to build the new state capital in 1930. It cost $5 million and only took two years to build. It opened in 1932, featuring an Art Deco design. At the time, it was the tallest building in the South, 430 feet tall with 34 stories.

A few months before the building was finished, the capsule was hidden on the northwest side of the building behind a cornerstone with a note by Long requesting that it remain closed for 100 years.

Fast-forward to 21st-century architects, who found the capsule in 2020 before a renovation project of the northwest corner of the building. The Louisiana Senate decided to remove the capsule because the renovation plans would've made it inaccessible in the future. Louisiana lawmakers honored the request of the late governor, who was fatally shot to death in his beloved State Capitol three years after it opened in 1935.

His time capsule will not be opened until 2031. Until then, we'll just have to wonder what the late governor put inside. In the meantime, take a look at the videos below as more time capsules are discovered under monuments, in floors and walls, to the oldest time capsule found.