Lost Time Capsule

dudes2112

dudes2112

Hero Member
Jan 25, 2005
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Cuyahoga Falls, OH
The principal at my son's school asked me if I could help find a time capsule that was buried at the school 40 years ago, as it turns out, I need a little help! For whatever reason, no one marked the spot where it was buried so they have an estimate based on a teacher that's still at the school, she wasn't there for the actual ceremony so she only knows it was somewhere within the hedges over by the flagpole, which gives me about a 30' x 30' area to look in. So here are all of my issues:

1. No one knows if the container is even metal or not (big problem).
2. No one knows how deep the container is.
3. No one knows how big the container is.
4. The area where the container resides seems to be a wasteland of metal junk (yeah, just when you thought it couldn't get any worse)

So, there are the issues, which seem almost impossible. Personally, if I were going to bury something in the ground for 40 years I WOULDN'T put it in something metal because it would corrode that much quicker, but I'm not sure what materials were suitable options at that time for a container. I did find a spot that had what seemed like several faint signals all at around 6" over an area about the size of a basketball, but like I said, this place is a minefield of scrap metal for some reason and I don't have the option of tearing the place up digging giant holes everywhere so these signals could be items inside of the capsule itself??? (no one even knows what's in the thing either, although I would have to think there would be something metal in there)

I guess I could, over the course of several weeks, since they aren't digging this thing up until the fall (officially), clear out all the small trash little by little and then be left with only a couple good guesses??? Currently, I'm at a bit of a loss...

Dudes
 

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Tuff One.
Could be in A metal Container Inside a Cement Sleeve (Vault)
Most Time Capsules would contain at least one of every Denominastion coin
of the time, Books, Papers & Photos.
Maybe a School Emblem.

IF not in Metal a detector won't pick it up over 18" (A estimate)
on the coins with a Top of the Line detector.
And maybe much less because the Coins can't React with the Ground.

Worth a good Try Though.
If detecting in Discriminate
Switch & Check those Nulls too.
Going to be a dig everything Job

And if Deep could Signal as a wide area Or Tiny coin area.
or anywhere in between
 

Thanks Jeff, I might be in over my head here. I'm stopping by to see the principal today and tell him what I know. I was planning to call the library and see if they could give me any info at all, maybe they've got some pictures of the event or the local paper covered the story back in the day... I think the principal was thinking I would walk out there, find it in 10 minutes and spray a big X in the grass and be done with it, but with all the stray metal around, not happening, plus like you said, if it's too deep, we're all out of luck.

My biggest fear is marking something and then having the school gather everyone around, firing up the marching band, getting the newspaper reporter out there, and then digging up an old barn door hinge! So, hopefully I can find it and discreetly take a peek at it to make sure I have the right thing without digging it completely up first, then let them "dig it up" for real on the day of the event.

Thanks for the help

Dudes
 

Yep a Photo of the Event would do the Trick.

There is a time Capsule Buried in a Park Field near me.
Their is a Cap over it that says so.
Don't remember off hand for sure, But I think it's a Metal Plague.
IF they marked the spot this way, It will be a snap.
as the Marker may be less then 2 Inches under the Grass.
 

Looks like this school isn't the only one who can't find it.... http://www.fisheries.vims.edu/hoenig/pdfs/Time_Capsule.pdf

Researching the newspapers....I found most of the time capsules are made of a percentage of copper and .1 per cent of silver. I can't remember the other ingredient...sorry. The one at the 1939 NY World's Fair isn't planned to be dug up by Archeaologists until 6940 A.D.!!! I bet a metal detectorists finds it first!!! :thumbsup:

Check the cornerstones of the building...check your local newspaper archives (as I can't seem to locate anything in my searches)...or school newspapers (if they kept them on file that long). The one at Pipsico is at the base of the flag pole and to be opened in 2074. But there is a plaque there. Maybe the local historical society may have photos and/or stories. Look for old high school year books as well.

I wish you luck and I hope you find it!!!!
 

Thanks everyone, the probe idea has merit, I hadn't thought of that, I've not used one before. Can I probe down possibly 10" or more? The historical society is a good idea too!

Dudes
 

Checkout this website, it has a picture of the probe that they use to find the old outhouses, will definitely go down a couple of feet depending on how long you make the probe.

http://www.privydigger.com/
 

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Another idea might be to check to see if they have the records from school board meetings that far back. It may give you a clue as to where it is. The school board meeting minutes should be public information. Hope it helps.
 

HI Peeps: If it is large enough, try picking it up through a soil matrix difference factor. There are several machines that will do this, notably The Discovery type of instruments.

Of course a GPR, while perfect, would be ruled out because of the expense. However, it might be well to advertise to see if someone that has one of these units would be wiling to volunteer for the project..

Don Jose de La Mancha
 

That probe is great! I was only familiar with the smaller hand held ones for coins previously, I would say that would do the trick for sure.

Dudes
 

When it was buried, there must have been a marker to let them know where to dig it up!!! And as said (Over by the flag pole) that was likely the monument. If it has an concrete base, check under it. or with in a foot or two from it. ----- Other then that? And if you don't see anything else that could be a marker near by? It's not likely that it would be placed in open ground with no marker. Coin shoot the site and see what dates are on the coins you should dig up. If there all clad, and or are few, then a coinshooter likely has already found the box in the past and didn't say much about it.
Have Fun! But don't feel bad if you can't locate it.
 

AirForce1 said:
Checkout this website, it has a picture of the probe that they use to find the old outhouses, will definitely go down a couple of feet depending on how long you make the probe.

http://www.privydigger.com/
Click to expand...

I have often wondered how they found old privys.
Now I know, it the old "shove and sniff" operation!
 

??? a nother idea comes to mins maybe a ground unit thats draged over the ground just like we use in archology? it send s a signal down and then whe waves bounce back and it will find it guarnteed
 

Try to find members of the graduating class for that year, there should be a few that stayed in the area after graduating they may have witnessed the event. If you can find the class president or other class officers they were probably the ones that buried it. The school should have annuals for all the years. Anyway good luck.
 

I would check the area lowest point, where a hole may once have been dug and settled. :icon_study:
 

We may have had a break through on this case... My wife does a lot of volunteering at the school and there's one teacher that was there the day it was buried, but she's a kindergarten teacher and the little kids weren't involved in the process, so she didn't witness it, but, she's really good friends with a retired 5th grade teacher that was there the day it was buried and she claims to know precisely where it was placed. I just hope her 40 year old memory of it holds up, I'm sure the area has changed a bit since she was there last so hopefully that doesn't confuse things. We are setting up a time for her to meet me at the site. I'll let everyone know what happens.

Dudes
 

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anyone interested in going

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