

Historians are dubious about whether it is an actual photograph of Lincoln in his coffin or a sketch or print of him lying in state.ĭale Brumfield, a local author and historian who studied the capsule's history, was disheartened by the end of the search and suspected it was being hidden, the Times-Dispatch reported. Library records indicated 37 local residents and businesses contributed about 60 objected related to the Confederacy to the historic cache. Many were excited to unveil the contents of the 'moldy Confederate box' which is believed to be a copper capsule from 1887 that contained a silver dollar and relics from the Civil War including Confederate buttons.Ī newspaper article from 1887 says that it also contained a photograph of 'Lincoln lying in his coffin' that was donated by Miss Pattie Leake, a school principal from a prominent Richmond family.

Published: 01:39 GMT, 6 December 2021 | Updated: 13:37 GMT, 6 December 2021Ĭrews attempted to locate a time capsule said to be buried in the base of the Lee statue Officials in September called off the search for the capsule - which was said to contain a picture of Abraham Lincoln - after just 12 hours of digging.It's possible that a 1887 time capsule believed to have been buried under the statue will be recovered when the plinth is removed.Both the statue and plinth will be preserved, although it remains unclear if, or how, they'll be displayed again in the future.The plinth was defaced with graffiti in May 2020 as protests over the death of Floyd continued, with messages such as 'no more white supremacy'.The statue itself was winched away September 8, but plans to take it down began in 2020 following George Floyd's killing by a Minneapolis police officer.

Lee's statue will be gone by December 31, officials said Sunday
