ARKANSAS CITY — A few dozen residents gathered Friday on the lawn of City Hall to witness the burial of a new time capsule that won’t be opened again until 2076.
The ceremony marked the culmination of a community effort to preserve a snapshot of life in Arkansas City in 2026 for future generations. Community members watched as the capsule was filled with memorabilia, sealed and lowered into the ground in front of City Hall.
Among the items placed inside was a newspaper containing the names of this year’s graduating high school class, along with photographs, letters and other keepsakes intended to provide future residents with a snapshot of life in Arkansas City in 2026.
Arkansas City Mayor Tad Stover joined Communications Director Shana Adkisson in loading the items before the capsule was capped and prepared for burial.
The project coincides with the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary and follows a similar effort undertaken during the U.S. Bicentennial. Arkansas City’s previous time capsule was buried in 1976 and opened in 2021.
Adding to the connection between past and present, Adkisson said the same container recovered from the original capsule was repainted and reused for the new project.
While the original capsule experienced some moisture issues during its decades underground, many of the contents remained in surprisingly good condition.
“For having been in there 50 years,” Adkisson said, the items held up well. Continue below ad.
The newly buried capsule is scheduled to remain sealed for the next 50 years before being reopened in 2076. At that point, future residents will get a glimpse of what life was like in Arkansas City during the nation’s 250th anniversary era and the community’s effort to preserve a piece of its history for generations to come.
