Committee collecting items for a new time capsule to be buried in October
A message was handed down from the past to the present postmaster of the Central City Post Office, through a typed letter included in the time capsule, buried in 1973 and recently unearthed. Several members of the current staff were on hand on Sept. 5 to open the letter.
Dated Aug. 6, 1973, the letter read, “Greetings and best wishes from the Central City Postal People of 1973 to the Central City Postal People of 2023. It was followed by a list of everyone who worked at the post office at the time, and their titles, and was signed by Postmaster William S. Jenkins.
They were, as follows: Postmaster William S. Jenkins; Assistant to Postmaster Harry W. Shaver; Clerks Gayle Lake, Cecil P. Miller, Jerry L. Rowe, and Gorman W. Phillips; City Carriers Donald Roberts, William B. Hardwick Jr., and John M. Capuria; Rural Carriers Halbert N. Noffsinger, Garland Sprague, James L. Jenkins Jr., James R. Arnold, Kenneth R. Wininger, and Mendel L. Noffsinger; and Custodians Warren E. Bard and Aaron P. Nelson.
Included in the large envelope were two sheets of stamps released in 1973, one of which featured postal employees doing various tasks.
The letter was read by Central City’s current postmaster, Drew Stokes, who has held that position since October, 2022. He was joined by former postmaster Angela Lowe, who served between 2008 and 2020, along with current postal workers Gerda Davis and David Lear.
The tourism office, located at 200 North First Street, has items from the time capsule on display. Many of the items were personal in nature, and are being returned to those who they were intended for.
Among the many personal items found in the vault were photos and letters to family members. Several coin proof sets were included, along with a Bible and a 1973 phone book. Two boxes of cereal and a pack of Juicy Fruit gum were also inside the time capsule.
The city is currently accepting items to be buried in a time capsule later this year. They are looking for items that are unique to the area, and to the time we are living in. Personal items are welcome, as well as letters to be opened by friends or family in the future. The time capsule will be unearthed in 50 years, as the city celebrates its 200th anniversary in 2073.
Items can be dropped off at the tourism office, located at 200 North First Street, through mid-October.
