Time capsule found in cornerstone during Paris Elementary School construction

PARIS, Ky. ( FOX 56 ) — A piece of history was found on Wednesday amid construction at Paris Elementary School.

Contractors found a time capsule that is believed to have been placed in a cornerstone on school grounds in 1939, according to Paris Elementary School.

Principal Leann Pickerill spoke with FOX 56 about the school construction project that led to the unexpected discovery.

“We are building on to our school; adding a new preschool,” Pickerill said.

LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS:

• 2 charged after death of 2-year-old in Graves County
• Authorities arrest 12 people for meth trafficking in 2 Kentucky counties
• Kentucky couple who moved to Florida heartbroken after Milton ruins their ‘happily ever after’

She confirmed that the elementary school was a Public Works Administration project that was built while Franklin D. Roosevelt was president.

“At the time, they installed a cornerstone that, for a long time, people had said, ‘Oh, there’s something in there.’ and we’ve been eagerly been awaiting our masons to remove it so we could find out if that was, in fact, true or not true,” Pickerill laughed.

The masons were able to remove the cornerstone and they learned that it was, in fact, hollow. There was a steel plate on top of it.

Pickerill noted how public excitement had been building for a while, as local historians said there was a lot of discussion about a possible time capsule being placed in there.

“And so, you know, me, I’m thinking, ‘Hopefully, you know, it really is in there,'” Pickerill recalled.

There was a box that was found inside the cornerstone that had not been opened yet, she confirmed.

Pickerill expressed concern when she thought about actually opening the time capsule and seeing what was inside.

“I am a little concerned about it, because, you know, the elements have really gotten to the exterior of the box over the years. Even taking it out of the cornerstone, you know, there was some damage to the box from where it has kind of rusted over time.”

The time capsule is located inside the school still, but Pickerill said she is worried about possibly destroying some of the contents on the inside. She believes water had gotten to the box.

Still, that isn’t going to stop her from opening the box up and seeing what lessons history still has to teach her. She’s just making sure the box is handled with care and its contents are revealed at the right time.

“We plan to do a ribbon cutting on Oct. 30 for our new building, and we would love to incorporate the opening of the box at that time,” Pickerill told FOX 56.

Due to the age of the contents and the decay of the exterior, she said she would love for a more experienced hand to carefully open the box and dig through the contents “so we can display them properly.”

As for what was inside the box, Pickerill said she could tell there were documents inside, but beyond that, she could only guess.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News.