Texas Border Business
Time Capsule Ceremony-July 4, 2015 at the Edinburg Fire Department 212 W. McIntyre at 9 a.m.
Edinburg, Texas- In 1965, The City of Edinburg was getting ready to open a brand new Municipal Facility at 212 W. McIntyre. To mark the occasion, fifth grade students and staff from Lamar Elementary suggested a time capsule be considered for the new building. The principal, Mr. Charles Florence asked that it be a Citywide project with the county, Chamber of Commerce, and other organizations participating.
Florence explained the time capsule would be a steel tube, 12 inches in diameter, approximately four feet in depth and topped with an inscribed plaque. The students he said would enclose items typical of life in Edinburg in 1965.
The City Council liked the idea and instructed the project architects to include it in the plans.
As shown in this Review picture by Wendell Henry, a special ceremony was held to dedicate the building and to inter the capsule.
The seal on the capsule was specific as to when it should be opened– July 4, 2015.
Today, Lamar Elementary no longer exists. The old building at the corner of Schunior and Sugar has been torn down to make way for the new medical school.
The old City Hall at 212 W. McIntyre is now the Administration Building for the Edinburg Fire Department.
The time capsule is buried on the east side of the building which now serves as the City’s Emergency Operation Center.
During the past few years, former Lamar Elementary Students started calling City Hall to inquire when it would be opened; some from as far away as California. Although they may not remember what they included in the capsule, they want to be present for the opening.
The City of Edinburg plans to unseal the capsule and exhume it on the specified date. A special ceremony will take place at 9 a.m. at the Edinburg Fire Department’s Emergency Operations Center.
Students, staff, and administrators are invited to witness the exhumation. It will be interesting to go back in time 50 years and see what was included.
The former students are hopeful that the items in the capsule are intact and can give us important information about Edinburg’s history. The public is invited to attend.
The Seal reads:
Beneath this Plaque lies a time Capsule placed in the year 1965 by Fifth grade classes of Lamar Elementary School. The Capsule is not to be opened until July 4, 2015.
Time Capsule Ceremony-July 4, 2015 at the Edinburg Fire Department 212 W. McIntyre at 9 a.m.
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