The demolition of the former Owatonna High School has been an emotional subject throughout the community since the building’s fate became clear one year ago.
While time had taken its toll on the 1921 school building, it still contained precious memories for many — perhaps more literally and tangibly than they realized.
Earlier this year, the school district announced a time capsule had been discovered during demolition inside a cornerstone inscribed “A.D. 1920.”
On Monday, prior to the School Board meeting, community members crowded into the Crandall Center at West Hills to get the first glimpse of its contents.
Bob Olson, director of facilities, infrastructure and security for the district, cut the old metal box open before the room of curious onlookers. Inside lay a stash of artifacts including documents from the school district and city, the charters and bylaws of various local organizations and newspapers from 1920.
According to OHS Principal Kory Kath, the district will work with the Steele County Historical Society and the OHS Museum committee to preserve and display the documents in appropriate locations.
“Owatonna High School has a rich history, and that history has spanned multiple buildings, multiple spaces of learning and so many different faces. Tonight, I think it’s going to be really exciting to see some of those faces emerge in what was collected in this time capsule,” said Kath before the contents were unveiled.
SCHS Board Member Elizabeth Anselmo, who attended the capsule opening along with Executive Director Jennifer Thiele, was thrilled to see the trove of documents come to light, both as a historian and as someone with deep roots in Owatonna.
“I got really emotional. I actually did cry a bit,” she said.
Five generations of Anselmo’s family attended the former OHS, spanning most of its history. Her great-great-aunt graduated in 1926, while her daughter was in the final class to graduate from the building in 2023.
Anselmo expressed her gratitude for the Owatonnans of 1920 who preserved these documents for a generation they would never meet.
“It’s just really marvelous that they had the thought to do this, and in such an organized way. It’s going to be really interesting to comb through it and curate some exhibits for both the historical society and the OHS museum,” she said.
“We were glad it wasn’t Al Capone’s vault,” she added, referencing the infamous TV special that disappointed millions of viewers with an empty vault.
Discovery
As the recent demolition approached the building’s neoclassical facade, Olson asked contractors to take care around the cornerstone. At the time, the district’s primary goal was to preserve the inscription for display at the new high school or district office — but there was some suspicion the cornerstone might contain something more.
When the cornerstone was removed, they discovered a small metal box inside — dented and rusted, but relatively well-preserved.
School Board Chair Mark Sebring, a graduate of OHS, was elated when he heard the news.
“As we watched the existing high school come down, it was both exciting and sad to see that happen, as it was such an important edifice for those of us that had walked the halls and graduated from Owatonna High School. It was pretty exciting the day that my phone rang and Bob Olson called and said, ‘hey, you’re not going to believe this,’” Sebring told the audience.
According to an article from the People’s Press dated Oct. 1, 1920, the cornerstone was laid the previous day in an elaborate ceremony conducted by Grand Master E. A. Montgomery of the Minnesota Freemasons. The article included a list of documents preserved inside, but the contents of the capsule — and its existence — passed out of general knowledge over the next century.
Exploring its contents
During the program, school board members stood behind Olson as he carefully spread the capsule’s contents out on a table for viewing. Then, one by one, they slipped on gloves and examined the documents, describing them for the audience.
“I’m sure historians will have a ball,” said School Board Vice Chair Lori Weisenburger, handling documents including a proposed charter for the city and a list of Owatonna’s mayors from 1865 to 1920.
Though the documents were intact and legible, Weisenburger noted they were slightly damp.
One of the more curious finds was a document school board members determined was written in Czech, likely contributed by one of the Bohemian cultural organizations that once existed in Owatonna.
Superintendent Jeff Elstad displayed a 1920 issue of the OHS Magnet, bearing the headline “Big Stride in Owatonna Educational Progress!”
Earlier in the program, Elstad drew a parallel between the community today and the “radical” people who “decided they wanted to build a high school in the middle of a field” 104 years ago.
“All of you in here are those pioneers as well, in the year 2019, when you said yes to a bond referendum — the radical people that wanted to build a high school building out in the middle of a field. And we did just that,” said Elstad.
“I didn’t get to go see the eclipse. This is kind of like seeing the eclipse for me, because it happens every 100 years,” he added.
As the program concluded, Elstad welcomed everyone in attendance to view the capsule’s contents for themselves.
For OHS senior Carter Hanson, one of the students who stayed to inspect the documents, the capsule’s contents offered a glimpse into the forgotten minutiae of another era.
“It’s really interesting to see a lot of the newspapers from the time, more like slice-of-life stories, not like any major news but just the ongoings on the time and on a day to day basis what was happening,” said Hanson.
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