Ever hear, see, or read something that leads you down a rabbit hole. That happened to me recently. I heard the song “Waitsgiving” by Fishboy. The lyrics reference the great time capsule debacle of 2012. You might remember the event, or you may have heard the story, but here is a very short recap of what happened.
Back in 1992, First State Bank of Denton buried a time capsule on the southwest corner of the square. The plaque placed in the sidewalk read:
“First State Bank
Time Capsule
Buried September 12, 1992
To be opened September 12, 2012
our 100th Anniversary”
Unfortunately, First State Bank of Denton did not make it to their 100th anniversary; they ceased operation and Wells Fargo took over the building at 101 S. Locust Street in 2001. Even though there was no anniversary to celebrate, Dentonites did not miss the fact that there was a time capsule waiting to be opened and used it as a reason to throw a party. To honor the missed anniversary, Glenn Farris created the Facebook event “See You at the Capsule,” and about 40 people gathered at 12:01 a.m. on September 13, 2012, to “toast the time capsule.” About a week later, on September 20, the City of Denton had the time capsule removed from the concrete and returned it to the bank. The time capsule was opened by Wells Fargo staff on October 16, 2012. It contained various items from the First State Bank of Denton, including a deposit slip, marketing materials, and promotional items.
I began to wonder; how many other time capsules are hidden in Denton? And if a time capsule that has a plaque marking its location and pertinent dates can go unopened how many others are buried and forgotten?
My go-to resources for quirky questions like this are the local newspapers. Denton Public Library provides cardholders with digital access to both the current and historical editions of the Denton Record-Chronicle and historical issues of the TWU daily newspaper, The Lass-O. Other historical Denton County papers, and the UNT student papers The Campus Chat and The North Texas Daily are available on the Portal to Texas History. We do have a gap in the digital access to the DRC. Issues published between 1980-2003 are only available on microfilm, so options for searching the newspaper during this period are limited. Even so, I was able to find a few articles about time capsules. Here are some of the stories I uncovered:
In July 1976, the Junior High Youth group of the First United Methodist Church buried a time capsule containing interesting church information to be opened in 2026.
Students in the Congress Jr. High (now Calhoun Middle School) Junior Historians Club buried a time capsule in the courtyard of the “new” building on May 29, 1976. The rectangular fiberglass container included: school lunch menus, a yearbook, spirit ribbons, photographs of school activities, newspaper clippings, minutes of the club’s meetings, and a taped message. It was intended that it would be opened in 2026 and then reburied with contributions from those who opened it. The area where it was buried was covered with concrete to create a patio when the school was remodeled. I could not determine whether it was found during construction or if it is still buried.
Donna Fielder wrote a column for the July 17, 2011, issue of the DRC about her memories of Texas’s sesquicentennial in 1986. One of her recollections was of “Denton’s very own Sesquicentennial 25-year time capsule, buried with 1986 real estate information.” Following that lead, I found an article in the March 11, 1986, issue of the DRC that included information about the “Texas Legacies” event at the Arts Center. The article mentioned, “a time capsule that will be filled with items representing 1986 and placed in the Center for Performing Arts.” (The building proposed to be used for the Center for Performing Arts became the Central Fire Station instead.) I could find no further mention of the time capsule in the articles leading up to and after the day of the event.
A four-year-old boy and his mother found a time capsule buried at the Eureka playground in South Lakes Park in June 2005. Volunteers who helped build the park buried it on November 6, 1994, with the intent of opening it at the 10th anniversary in 2004. But the person in charge of the time capsule project, Kathy Ewing, died before it could be recovered, and the capsule was forgotten. After it was found, volunteers who had worked on the Eureka playground project came together to examine the items. It contained children’s books, a Wolverine comic, a Stone Temple Pilots CD booklet, photos of students, Record-Chronicle articles from 1994, a map of the playground, a T-shirt worn by volunteers, and writings from Sam Houston Elementary School students. Water had leaked into the capsule, and many of the items were damaged by moisture. The volunteers planned to update, reseal, and rebury the time capsule in Eureka Park.
In May 2015, Tomas Rivera Elementary School included the opening of a time capsule as part of its 20th anniversary celebration. The capsule was buried on the school’s back lawn in 1994 and found in 2009, during construction for the building’s expansion. Instead of reburying it, they kept it in the school. When they opened it in 2015, they found old Ked’s tennis shoes with students’ signatures, newspaper clippings, a VHS tape, a copy of the school song, a textbook, a Goosebumps book, and Babysitter’s Club books, and school photographs.
The University of North Texas buried two time capsules, one in 1962 and the other in 1988, as part of their University Day celebrations. Both were designated to be opened in 2015. More information about these time capsules can be found on the UNT Library’s blog.
Also at UNT, Bruce Hall residents buried a time capsule in April 1997 as part of the building’s 50th Anniversary festivities. The newspaper article about the event stated that it was intended to be opened in 2022 when the building turned 75, but I was unable to find any reports that the capsule was recovered.
A time capsule was found in the walls of Old Main at Texas Woman’s University during a renovation project in 2020. A news release detailed the discovery.
The Emily Fowler Central Library holds three time capsules. One, from the Artist Enclave of Denton County, created on Leap Day, February 29, 2020. It contains artwork the group created at the Leap Day event as well as other Denton Memorabilia. It is slated to be opened on February 29, 2060. The second is simply labeled “City of Denton, Water Related Documents, Time Capsule, May 13, 2000.”
The third time capsule is one the library created in August 1986, during the Sesquicentennial celebration. The capsule contains a copy of Mayor Ray Stephens’ speech and other items commemorating the 150th birthday of Texas. It is intended to be opened in 2036, when Texas celebrates its bicentennial.
The time capsules listed here are only a few that lie hidden within the city of Denton. In fact, watch for another blog post about the time capsules inside the cornerstones of some local buildings. In the meantime, if you are involved in the creation of a time capsule it might be a good idea to register it with The International Time Capsule Society.
Laura Douglas
Special Collections Librarian
Emily Fowler Central Library
Sources:
Capsule, bell, boost spirit, The Campus Chat, May 11, 1962.
Oddities have their place in history of university, Denton Record-Chronicle, May 9, 1968.
The Cougar, Yearbook of Congress Jr. High School, May 1976.
Bicentennial fever: area schools work on patriotic projects, Denton Record-Chronicle, May 19, 1976.
First Methodist Church to join in celebration, Denton Record-Chronicle, July 2, 1976.
City sets Sesquicentennial celebration, Denton Record-Chronicle, March 11, 1986.
Texas Legacies’ event promises something for everyone, Denton Record-Chronicle, May 11, 1986.
Bruce’s birthday bash, The North Texas Daily, April 11, 1997.
Time capsule unearths stories, Denton Record-Chronicle, July 1, 2005.
Bidding farewell to recent history, Denton Record-Chronicle, July 17, 2011.
Yesteryear: August, Denton Record-Chronicle, August 7, 2011.
Losing track: time capsule recovered more, Denton Record-Chronicle, September 21, 2012.
City unearths forgotten time capsule, The North Texas Daily, September 25, 2012.
Time capsule fires imagination, Denton Record-Chronicle, September 27, 2012.
A second chance to turn back time, Denton Record-Chronicle, October 16, 2012. (published online, no longer available)
Moments, people to remember, celebrating milestones, Denton Record-Chronicle, January 1, 2013.
Tomas Rivera Elementary celebrates milestones, Denton Record-Chronicle, May 29, 2015.
Time capsule to preserve modern university culture, The North Texas Daily, February 17, 2016.
Renovations uncover voice from the past, Inside TWU, January 7, 2020.
ConFABulation: Leap Day 2020, Artist Enclave of Denton County Facebook post, February 29, 2020.
The Backstory: Fishboy’s New Album Got Started In Eric Michener’s Car – Stuck on I-35. https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/the-backstory-fishboys-new-album-got-started-in-eric-micheners-car-stuck-on-i-35/
Denton Public Library 