What Virginia put in America's time capsule for 2276
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The America250 time capsule (left), and the bell jar that will fit on top of it, at the Maryland shop they were made in. Photo: Rich Press/NIST
When U.S. officials crack open "America's Time Capsule" 250 years from now, Virginia will be represented by a commemorative coin.
Why it matters: It's not that we don't love it but … Maine sent a whale bone.
Catch up quick: The nation's official 250th commission invited all 56 states and territories to contribute items as a record of American culture.
- The capsule will be buried Saturday, July 4 at Philadelphia's Independence National Historical Park and will be reopened on America's 500th birthday.
- Virginians also submitted over a thousand photos for the capsule, Sen. Mark Warner tells Axios, including ones of "Virginians hiking the Appalachian Trail to reenactments at Mount Vernon to crowds at Olde Salem Days."
Fun fact: This is the second time in five years Virginians have helped fill a time capsule.
- When state officials removed Richmond's Robert E. Lee statue in 2021, they replaced an 1887 time capsule in the monument's pedestal with 39 artifacts meant to represent modern Virginia.
They included:
- A vial of the COVID-19 vaccine.
- Portraits of Virginia immigrants.
- A video from the Arthur Ashe Boulevard unveiling.
- The viral photo of a Black ballerina in front of the Lee statue.
Tell us: What would you have sent to the time capsule to represent Virginia in 2026? Respond below. Bonus points if it's funny.