A bipartisan group of congressional members stood together on Capitol Hill Wednesday to dedicate a time capsule which will hold a snapshot of the U.S. as it prepares to celebrate 250 years of independence.
Watch the dedication ceremony in the video player above.
The Time Capsule Act, a 2016 law creating the nonpartisan America250 commission mandated that a time capsule be buried in Philadelphia on July 4, 2026, and dug up 250 years later in 2276.
Last week, the resulting 900-pound cylinder was sealed shut, capping years of technical design and construction, collaboration with states and meticulous review of collected items.
READ MORE: The U.S. will bury a time capsule for its 250th birthday. Here’s what’s inside
Inside the capsule are contributions from the three branches of the federal government, many of the ongoing America 250 events and programs, and all 50 states, the five U.S. territories and the District of Columbia. Most contents are in small archival boxes, while paper documents are in a separate compartment.
“On the front of the capsule, we have the passage from the Declaration of Independence that declared the colonies to now be free and independent states,” said Architect of the Capitol Thomas Austin.
“We have a dedication from this Congress to mark both this time capsule and the milestone of the 250th anniversary of that declaration. For those who have the privilege to work here in the Capitol, you get a sense that you are just one chapter in a long history book. The U.S. Capitol is a symbol of that history. In fact, it is the symbol of that American history.”
According to a list posted on the America250 website Monday, archival quality paper was a particularly popular choice, with states submitting hundreds of letters, postcards, posters, poems and other printed material.
This isn’t the first national time capsule tied to the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
A “Century Safe” filled in 1876 was opened by President Gerald Ford in 1976. That year in turn saw the creation of an official Bicentennial time capsule, which is stored at the National Archives and will be opened in 2076. And there’s another time capsule in the works that will be housed at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center.
To ensure the America 250 capsule is found in 2276, the National Park Service has included details about it in its succession plans to be passed down through time.
A capstone with information about it will cover the spot where it’s buried.
