Please note that this post contains affiliate links and any sales made through such links will reward MageeNews.com a small commission – at no extra cost to you.
By Andy Baeuerle
On August 3, 1974, Simpson County residents placed hundreds of items in a large concrete case to be buried and reopened in 50 years for their relatives to see. This case, also known as a time capsule, was buried at the close of Simpson County’s Sesquicentennial (150th) Celebration, due to open in 50 years for the county’s bicentennial celebration, and on Independence Day 2024, present-day Simpson Countians were met with a great surprise.
On July 4, 2024, the Simpson County Sesquicentennial Time Capsule was due to be open. Hundreds of people from across Simpson County gathered on the south courthouse lawn to witness this great occasion. A team of four men and a crane lifted the casket-shaped capsule, encased in concrete, from its resting place to open for the public. However, over the last 50 years, water had seeped in through broken seals in the top of the time capsule, molding and ruined many paper things in the capsule.
Posters and memorabilia from the 1974 celebration lined the top of the capsule, followed by newspapers of the day and hundreds of other pieces donated by people of all ages. Also down in the capsule were letters from past generations, most signed “To the descendants or grandchildren of _____…” It was an amazing sight to see what people 50 years ago thought we wouldn’t have in 2024, such as 8-track tapes and glass soda bottles (which are scarcely available today), and there was also large amounts of old money and even signed checks for future generations.
Volunteers and members of the Bicentennial Council sorted items among identifiable and unidentifiable boxes so that people could claim items. I do want to note that if you were there or weren’t there and couldn’t claim something, the Simpson County Historical and Genealogical Society will hold both the identifiable and unidentifiable items until the owners can be discovered and can claim their things, and some will also be displayed in their museum.
Seeing the time capsule’s opening was truly an amazing sight, being as I wasn’t even born when the capsule was buried. I hear this fall another time capsule will be buried, with it’s intended opening to be in time for Simpson County’s Sesquicentennial Celebration in 2074. I am not quite sure what date the historical society will start taking dedications or when a new one will be buried, but we will keep you updated on it.
Here is a short list of things that were found in the time capsule:
- Sesquicentennial Celebration newspapers and programs
- Vintage coins including Kennedy dollars and half dollars
- A 1920 Mercury Dime
- 1974 Magee & Mendenhall Phone Books
- 1974 Mississippi State Bullogs Football Schedule
- 1974 Mendenhall Tigers Football Schedule
- 1972 Lee County, Mississippi License Plate
- 1959 $1 Bill
- Ray Price 8-Track Tape
I do want to encourage anyone who feels the need to to donate things to the time capsule for your future descendants to find. Greater measures are being taken this time to preserve history a little bit better. Today truly was a great view to what the people of yesterday thought we wouldn’t have today, and also an idea of what we can give for the people of tomorrow.
MageeNews is the online news source for Simpson and surrounding counties as well as the State of Mississippi and beyond.
