A team of Ohio firefighters have uncovered a fascinating 118-year-old time capsule, buried inside the brick wall of an old fire station due to be demolished.
On May 24, the Marion Ohio Fire Department intervened in the demolition of its old Station One building to remove the sandstone cornerstone for preservation, with permission from the building’s private owner, Ted Graham. Using hammers and chisels, a small group of off-duty firefighters got started but stopped before an engineer arrived to supervise when they made an unexpected discovery: a small copper box concealed behind bricks in the wall.
Firefighters work to remove and preserve the sandstone cornerstone of the old Marion Ohio Fire Department Station One building on May 24. (Courtesy of City of Marion Ohio Fire Department)
Firefighters stumble on a time capsule during their preservation efforts of the old Marion Ohio Fire Department Station One building. (Courtesy of City of Marion Ohio Fire Department)
Firefighter Niles and Captain Redmon of Marion Ohio Fire Department carefully removed the box. “The first time it has seen light since 1905, 118 years!” the department posted on Facebook, explaining that the 8 x 4 x 4-inch copper box was soldered shut to protect its contents from the elements….