West Point time capsule mystery takes a twist: There was something in there after all

Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press

It turns out, after closer inspection, that empty West Point time capsule had something in it after all.

No one saw them at first, but later, six old coins, dating from 1795 to 1828, and a commemorative medal from 1826, were found among the thick, caked silt at the bottom of the 1-foot, lead cube they had been inside for nearly 200 years.

U.S. Military Academy officials opened the box on Monday.

The new revelation, announced Wednesday, is a bit of redemption for Lt. Gen. Steve Gilland, the academy superintendent who had said the live-streamed reveal wasn’t just hype: something was inside the time capsule.

One of six old coins, dating from 1795 to 1828, found at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, when a time capsule was opened August 28, 2023.
One of six old coins, dating from 1795 to 1828, found at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, when a time capsule was opened August 28, 2023.

But it also adds a new twist to an unsolved mystery.

After sifting the dirt, West Point experts found an 1800 Liberty dollar, an 1828 50-cent piece, an 1818 quarter, an 1827 dime, a 1795 nickel, and a 1827 penny, and an Erie Canal commemorative medal. Some will wonder what is their significance, if any?

The new discovery adds a new puzzle to one that has military and civilian experts have been trying to solve for months: Why was the box placed in the base of the Thaddeus Kościuszko monument at West Point, one of America’s most important Revolutionary War fortifications?

A nearly 200-year-old time capsule from 1828 that had long been forgotten about and was rediscovered in 2023 at one of America’s most important Revolutionary War fortifications at West Point, N.Y. It is unknown what is inside.
A nearly 200-year-old time capsule from 1828 that had long been forgotten about and was rediscovered in 2023 at one of America’s most important Revolutionary War fortifications at West Point, N.Y. It is unknown what is inside.

Gen. George Washington selected Kościuszko, an engineer, to build up West Point’s defenses.

Academy officials concluded the lead box was a time capsule, tucked in the monument by cadets in 1828, just 26 years after the school’s founding. But that’s speculation, really. There don't seem to be records to explain the box. It was found when they were renovating the monument.

But why put such small, seemingly mundane objects, in such a relatively big container?

Maybe there is no rational reason.

A nearly 200-year-old time capsule from 1828 that had long been forgotten about and was rediscovered in 2023 at one of America’s most important Revolutionary War fortifications at West Point, N.Y. It is unknown what is inside.
A nearly 200-year-old time capsule from 1828 that had long been forgotten about and was rediscovered in 2023 at one of America’s most important Revolutionary War fortifications at West Point, N.Y. It is unknown what is inside.

Perhaps the answer will come from a cadet’s future history paper.

Or perhaps it will be the basis of a new conspiracy theory or the plot of a Hollywood blockbuster.

Contact Frank Witsil: fwitsil@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: West Point time capsule: Coins, medal found days after opening

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