Time capsule at Lincoln’s Pershing Auditorium opened after 64 years

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A time capsule sealed for 64 years was opened Tuesday in downtown Lincoln.

It featured items from 1959, the city’s centennial.

Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird and History Nebraska broke open the capsule in front of the Pershing Auditorium.

Inside were newspapers, tapes, a Bible and many other items — all well-preserved.

One of those items was a letter from the mayor in 1959 explaining all the exciting things happening then.

“He’s talking about progress that this community has made and the points of civic pride,” Gaylor Baird said.

He also left a video message that will be watched later.

There was also a pamphlet that said Lincoln, and the Pershing Auditorium in particular, was the place for conventions in the Midwest.

All of the items in the capsule will be catalogued and archived at History Nebraska.

The city decided to open the time capsule early because the auditorium is set to be demolished.

“It’s pretty exciting to have this peek into our past as we get ready to build the future on this block,” Gaylor Baird said.