Time capsule discovered in head of 113-year-old lion statue atop Boston’s Old …

The golden lion guards the clock atop the old headquarters of the Massachusetts government along with a unicorn
Caretakers recently took down the lion and unicorn for routine cleaning and upon scanning the lion’s head detected a shoe box-sized copper container
The lion has been rumored to contain a time capsule containing Newspaper ephemera from the period, along with letters from prominent Bostonians

By
Ap
and Josh Gardner for MailOnline

Published:
22:33 GMT, 24 September 2014

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Updated:
03:57 GMT, 25 September 2014

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A window into Boston’s past has turned up in an unusual place: the head of a lion’s statue on the building that once served as the seat of Massachusetts government.

The Bostonian Society said Tuesday it had confirmed the presence of what had long been rumored to be a time capsule from 1901 tucked away inside the copper statue.

The statue was recently taken down from the roof as part of a restoration effort.

Window to the past: The golden lion at left was placed atop Boston’s Old State House near the turn of the 20th century and has now been revealed to contain a time capsule from 1901

Generations later: A woman purporting to be the descendant of the statues’ sculptor claimed years ago that she knew for sure the lion contained a time capsule

A fiber optic camera was used to locate the time capsule – in actuality a copper box – in the head of the lion, according to Heather Leet, the society’s director of development.

The next steps, she said, will include an attempt to carefully open the statue without damaging it, followed by the removal of the box and examination of its contents.

The group first learned of the potential existence of the time capsule several years ago from a woman who was a descendent of the original sculptor.

‘She had a letter from him and a list of things in the time capsule,’ said Leet.

The society did some further research and uncovered a 1901 article about the time capsule in The Boston Globe, she said.

Newspaper clippings and photographs from the period, along with letters from politicians and other prominent Bostonians of the era, are among the items expected to be found in the box, which could be opened as early as next week.

‘COPPER BOX TO BE PLACED IN HEAD OF THE KING OF BEASTS’: THE 1901 BOSTON GLOBE ARTICLE THAT REVEALS TIME CAPSULE’S CONTENTS

Bostonians have whispered about the existence of a time capsule inside the head of the lion statue placed atop the city’s Old State House for years.

The rumors began when a woman purporting to be the descendant of the statue’s sculptor came forward, but the denizens of the Massachusetts town have had to wait until now to know for sure.

A 1901 article in the Boston Globe reported on the original placement of the statue, as well as the box inside that has nbw been found:

The work of the coppersmith is completed, and one of the last things he did was to seal a copper box, which is placed in the head of the lion, and which contains contributions from state and city officials, the Boston daily newspapers, the name of the maker of the lion and unicorn, and others, which will prove interesting when the box is opened many years hence.B

Source: Boston.com

Replaced wooden version: The copper lion and unicorn atop the building today replaced older wooden versions seen here in a lithograph that shows the reading of the Declaration of Independence

‘We’re really looking forward to seeing what those letters say,’ said Leet, adding that they could contain messages written to future generations.

The Old State House, among Boston’s most popular tourist attractions, has a storied history. It was one of the city’s most important civic buildings in colonial times and later became a focal point of the American Revolution.

The Boston Massacre took place just outside the building in 1770. In 1776, the Declaration of Independence was read to Bostonians from the balcony. After the war of independence, the building served as the first seat of Massachusetts government until construction of the current Statehouse in the late 18th century.

The first lion statue, along with that of a unicorn, was placed on the building in 1713 as symbols to mark the unification of England and Scotland, Leet said.

The statues were destroyed amid the subsequent patriotic fervor, but were replaced more than a century later by the society as part of an effort to preserve the building and restore its historical look.

Rich history: The Boston Massacre took place just outside the building in 1770. In 1776, the Declaration of Independence was read to Bostonians from the balcony. After the war of independence, the building served as the first seat of Massachusetts government until construction of the current Statehouse in the late 18th century