As the Rochester Historical Society was preparing for its anniversary celebration, we discovered in the meeting minutes from 1986, that a time capsule had been created for the town’s 300th anniversary of incorporation. The 1990 minutes stated that the capsule was placed in the basement of the Rochester Town Hall by the 1990 Historical Society Board of Directors. There was no mention of where it had been for those four years. There was no mention of what was included in the time capsule, and it is not to be opened until 2086.
When checking with Andrew Daniel, the town’s Facilities Manager, we found there certainly was a time capsule in the basement of the Town Hall, surrounded by cement blocks, and was now secured behind a protective water barrier but with no explanation of what was behind the blocks. The Historical Society had a sign made explaining the reason for the time capsule and its location.
The Historical Society thanks Andrew Daniel for helping locate the capsule and for affixing the plaque. Hopefully, the individuals opening the capsule in 2086 will enjoy seeing or reading whatever was put in the capsule. If anyone has any first-hand knowledge of this time capsule, please let the Historical Society know: 508-295-8908.