Seasonal & Holidays
It's Almost Time For Time Capsule Inspection In Braintree
The massive capsule, encased in a stone cairn, was created in 1976 to celebrate the nation's bicentennial – and won't be opened until 2076.
BRAINTREE, MA — It’s still more than a month off, but Braintree is preparing for its annual inspection of the Time Capsule Cairn.
The stone cairn encloses an 800-pound steel time capsule, containing memorabilia from the nation’s bicentennial celebration in 1976. The capsule is intended for future Braintree residents to open during a tricentennial celebration in 2076.
Each year as part of its Independence Day celebrations, the town inspects the cairn and publicly reads a report on its status.
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On Tuesday the town council will discuss the event and receive a formal invitation to the ceremony, according to the meeting agenda.
The capsule, which underwent a restoration in 2009, includes hundreds of letters, photographs and other artifacts from 1976. The container is filled with argon gas to prevent bacterial decay.
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Planners of the monument deliberately placed the capsule above ground, protected by the cairn, since the locations of buried capsules are frequently forgotten.
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