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1969 New Hampshire Time Capsule Opened to Reveal a Big Mystery – There's Nothing Inside

By Ron Brackett

August 22, 2019

The time capsule from 1969 was stored at the Derry Public Library in Derry, New Hampshire.
(Derry Public Library)

At a Glance

  • Townspeople planned to open the safe last weekend to reveal its contents.
  • The librarian opened it to test the lock in advance of celebrations.
  • Staffers were "horrified" when the door opened.
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The small blue safe sat untouched on a shelf at the Derry Public Library for years.

It was a time capsule, sealed in 1969 to be opened on the 300th anniversary of the first settlers arriving in the region around present-day Derry and Londonderry, New Hampshire.

What did the residents of 1969 Derry choose to preserve?

We'll probably never know.

(MORE: Researchers Make Stunning Discovery About Corals Near Hawaii)

Library director Cara Potter recently tested the lock to make sure the safe could be opened when the time came. The 300th Nutfield Anniversary Londonderry Old Home Day celebration was this past Saturday.

"It took us several tries to get it open," Potter told WMUR.com. "We had the combination, but it is an older safe, so by the time we actually got it open, there was a number of staff people standing around watching."

To their shock, the safe was empty.

"We were a little horrified to find that there was nothing in it," Potter said.

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And no one seems to know what was supposed to be in the time capsule.

Derry historian Paul Lindemann told the Union Leader no one can find a list of the contents.

"There very well may have been valuable items in there," he added.

"It was a big disappointment," Londonderry Town Manager Kevin Smith told Boston.com. "We were all excited about it."

Potter and Smith speculate that the safe may have contained newspaper clippings, a reel of film and material related to the 250th anniversary. They also said it may have included items tied to astronaut Alan Shepard, the first American in space and a native of Derry.

According to Lindemann, old newspaper articles said the capsule had been buried in Derry's MacGregor Park. He thinks the safe was dug up during library construction in 1989-90.

In recent memory, the safe has been kept in the library’s locked research room, where anyone could come and go as long as they asked for the key. Lindemann said the library didn’t keep a log of visitors.

So how did someone get into the safe that had been locked in 1969?

The combination was written on a piece of paper taped to the back of the safe.

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