"Historical records led many to believe the [time capsule recovered from the based of the the pedestal of the recently removed Robert E. Lee statue] held dozens of objects related to the Confederacy as well as a picture of deceased President Abraham Lincoln. But in just a few minutes, its contents were revealed and the items were few."
Among them: a book, an almanac, and "a pamphlet of some kind that made reference to water power facilities for the city of Manchester, a community south of Richmond"—arguably not nearly as interesting as the objects found in the base of the Jefferson Davis statue removed from the Kentucky Capitol Rotunda in 2020.
The Kentucky time capsule contained a copy of The Frankfort State Journal dated October 20, 1936 and a handwritten note on the top reading "date of placement." The whiskey bottle, which contained a piece of paper, was labeled Glenmore Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.
Commentators noted:
"[T]he note written on top of the newspaper definitely suggests that this is an honest-to-god time capsule and not just an attempt to cover up on-the-job drinking. Whomever placed the bottle did so with the assumption that at some point in time the statue would be removed and the bottle and note found. Considering that, it seems like kind of an asshole move to leave an empty bottle. A full bottle would have been a much more valuable artifact for future generations to uncover, and certainly a more conscientious one."
