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Mystery lingers around time capsule found beneath Lee statue

Lee Statue-Time Capsule
Posted at 6:21 AM, Dec 23, 2021
and last updated 2021-12-23 08:40:16-05

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A rust-colored 1875 almanac, a cloth envelope, and a silver coin have been found in a time capsule hidden beneath a towering statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Virginia for more than 130 years.

Another book appeared to an edition of "The Huguenot Lovers: A Tale of the Old Dominion."

According to the Associated Press, three books in total were inside the capsule, including a pamphlet that referenced the water power facilities for the city of Manchester.

The time capsule was embedded in the pedestal of the Lee statue in Richmond.

But the capsule opened Wednesday was not what many here were expecting.

A newspaper article from 1887 suggested that the capsule contained Civil War memorabilia and a "picture of Lincoln lying in his coffin."

The AP reported that the capsule referenced in the newspaper article measured 14-by-14-by-8 inches and was a copper box. The capsule found was made of lead and measured 4-by-8-by-11.5 inches.