Photos: Pomp-Filled Ceremony Marks Time Capsule's Return To State House

June 17, 2015

WBUR News & Wire Services

From left, Secretary of State William Galvin, Gov. Charlie Baker, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and Grand Master of Masons Harvey Waugh look at the opening in the cornerstone for the time capsule. (Joanne Rathe/Boston Globe/Pool)

A time capsule dating back to 1795 returned to its granite cornerstone in the Massachusetts State House during a pomp-filled ceremony Wednesday morning.

When unearthed last year, the historic capsule was found to contain old newspapers, 23 coins and a medal depicting George Washington.

Before placing the time capsule in the cornerstone again, officials added modern-day coins and a plaque commemorating its reburial. The capsule's older artifacts, as well as information about its historical significance, were on display in Boston's Museum of Fine Arts for the past several months.

Historians believe Revolutionary-era leaders Paul Revere and then-Massachusetts Gov. Samuel Adams were among those who first embedded the small brass box in its cornerstone home centuries ago.

Gov. Charlie Baker delivered a speech and was among several Massachusetts politicians who attended the ceremony, which featured marchers costumed in late 18th-century dress, with some playing fifes and drums for hundreds of schoolchildren and onlookers.

Today, we return the precious contents from our rich history to the cornerstone, adding some treasures of our own. pic.twitter.com/TP23r2w9Nh
— Charlie Baker (@MassGovernor) June 17, 2015

More than 1,000 masons, including members of the Grand Lodge of Masons group, gathered for the Bunker Hill Day event. Revere was a so-called "Grand Master" of the Grand Lodge of Masons when the capsule was first placed in the State House on July 4, 1795.