Image via Nick DeLuca
In mid-October, The Bostonian Society cracked open the highly-anticipated time capsule from 1901 and provided us with a mere window of what life was like, and what was held dear, 113-years ago. After examining and cataloguing the time capsule’s contents, one peculiar item, a letter addressed simply to posterity from the daily newspapers at City Hall had yet to be unsealed.
But once archivist Elizabeth Roscio was finally afforded the time to handle the delicate letter, to her, our and surely everyone’s utter surprise and chagrin, it was discovered that the envelope was empty.
That’s right, City Hall journalists have been trolling Bostonians for over a century.
“We were shocked,” Bostonian Society Director of Development Heather Leet told me in an email. “We think they did it as a joke.”
Sigh.
There was, however, an actual letter included in the time capsule from the editor of the Boston Traveler, George Litchfield in which he speculated on the future of not just Boston, or Massachusetts, but the civilization in general.
If you think that sounds overdramatic, well, read his thoughts below.
Image via The Bostonian Society
Image via The Bostonian Society