AMERICANALMANAC (Alex Tanzer) - Aurora's mayor found a century-old Masonic time capsule in a closet — and what was inside survived fire, demolition, and a hundred years of silence
A time capsule sealed inside an Illinois Masonic temple more than a century ago was pried open Saturday in downtown Aurora, revealing blueprints, lodge documents, and artifacts that narrowly escaped a three-alarm fire and demolition. Nearly 100 residents packed the plaza outside the Grand Army of the Republic Military Museum before 5 p.m., watching as […] The post Aurora's mayor found a century-old Masonic time capsule in a closet — and what was inside survived fire, demolition, and a hundred years of silence appeared first on American Almanac .
A time capsule sealed inside an Illinois Masonic temple more than a century ago was pried open Saturday in downtown Aurora, revealing blueprints, lodge documents, and artifacts that narrowly escaped a three-alarm fire and demolition. Nearly 100 residents packed the plaza outside the Grand Army of the Republic Military Museum before 5 p.m., watching as three people took turns with a hammer and chisel. It took at least ten minutes to crack the lid. What came out was a collection that Aurora Historical Society Executive Director John Jaros, a man with more than 40 years working in the city, called "exceptionally rare." The capsule's journey to that moment was almost as unlikely as its contents. Aurora Mayor John Laesch discovered it tucked…Open