UPPER WEST SIDE — Historians opened a time capsule sealed in May 1914 Wednesday, revealing a bronze box full of century-old letters, newspapers, books and other artifacts.
The capsule was created by the Lower Wall Street Business Men's Association and given to the New-York Historical Society.
The objects inside the box, which had to be laboriously unscrewed for the unveiling, reflect the beliefs and preoccupations of its founders, said Nicholas Yabon, a historian and professor at the University of Iowa who studies time capsules and helped open the capsule Wednesday.
"Early time capsules were largely the work of elites," and should be seen as "highly edited snapshots of the past," he remarked before lifting the lid of the box. He also cautioned audience members that the unveiling can often be disappointing.
To mark the occasion, the New-York Historical Society's summer high school interns created their own time capsule, to be sealed this week and opened in 100 years.
"The new time capsule really reflects popular culture as seen through the eyes of teenagers," said Margaret Hofer, curator of Decorative Arts for the society.
It's a contrast to "history seen through the captains of industry of 1914," in the older capsule.
There are also far more objects in the new one — items like a MetroCard, a Starbucks cup, a flash drive — whereas the 1914 capsule contained largely paper relics, like journals from various industries, yearbooks from private clubs, a book explaining financial regulations, among other things.
The notion of sealing artifacts to be opened at a specific time is relatively new, explained Yabon. It didn't even emerge in American culture until 1876 and there were 29 capsules created between that point and 1914, he said.
In the case of the 1914 capsule, it was created to accompany a commemoration of the tricentennial of Dutch colonization of the New World, through granting trading rights to the New Netherland Company on Oct. 11, 1614.
The 1914 capsule was supposed to be opened in 1974, but was forgotten in an art storage unit in Chelsea until the 1990s, according to Hofer.
Among the most interesting objects revealed was a telegram from then-New York State Governor Martin Glynn declaring that "New York is prosperous today, may it be prosperous in 1974."
There were no personal souvenirs tossed in, as sometimes was the custom back then, Yablon said.
And there's "nothing that alters our understanding of New York history," he continued, but the items will now be available in the society's collection for researchers who want to glean more from the past.
The new capsule will be sealed this week and the society has not determined whether it will put the objects into the bronze box used for the 1914 capsule or use another vessel, Hofer said.
Inside the 2014 capsule are objects that answer the question: "What do you think historians might overlook in 2014 that we might deem important?" said Margaret Borozman, 16, a junior at the U.N. International School.
The answer includes objects like a ticket for a Lady Gaga concert and a bottle of Purell hand sanitizer. Unlike the 1914 capsule, each object has a written explanation for why it was chosen, Borozman said.
