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Plaque marking the site of a time capsule buried near the gates of Rock Island Arsenal at Fort Armstrong in May 1966 to mark the fort's 150th anniversary has the names of Rock Island Arsenal commander and the sesquicentennial committee including C.W....
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A time capsule buried in May 1966 near the gates of Rock Island Arsenal to mark to mark Fort Armstrong's 150th anniversary is ready to be removed from the ground Apr. 22. Army Sustainment Command Historian George Eaton speculated that the sledge hamm...
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Army Sustainment Command Historian George Eaton checks the protective plastic wrapping around a time capsule buried in May 1966 near Rock Island Arsenal to mark to mark Fort Armstrong's 150th anniversary. The capsule will be taken to Rock Island Arse...
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Col. Donald K. Wols, Rock Island Arsenal Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center commander, looks on as Robert 'Bob' DeWit, JMTC engineering technician, drills a hole into one of the corners of a nearly 50 year old copper time capsule at JMTC headq...
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Col. Donald K. Wols, Rock Island Arsenal Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center commander, and Col. Lance R. Koening, Army Sustainment Command chief of staff, look at items in a just opened time capsule that had been buried for nearly 50 years at ...
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Todd and Matthew Garrison, sons of Dorrell Garrison Rock Island Arsenal museum curator in 1966, look at a book just removed from a time capsule buried near Rock Island Arsenal at Fort Armstrong in May 1966 to mark the fort's 150th anniversary. Their ...
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Candy Schoner, Forrest Stephens and Suzy Stephens look at an item from the time capsule buried near Rock Island Arsenal at Fort Armstrong in May 1966 to commemorate the fort's 150th anniversary. Schoner and Stephens father, Clifford Stephens, was the...
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ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Illinois--A time capsule buried just outside the gates of Rock Island Arsenal at Fort Armstrong nearly 50 years ago was opened May 10 in front of interested onlookers including children of the Weapons Command historian and the widow and sons of the Rock Island Arsenal museum curator who oversaw the emplacement.
The process began April 7 when the large stone marking the site was moved to allow workers to precisely locate and excavate the box. The second step occurred on April 22 with the box being brought to light for the first time since May 1966. Once out of the ground, the capsule was moved to Rock Island Arsenal Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center where workers removed a protective plastic wrapping and prepared the solid copper box for a ceremonial opening.
Candy Schoner and Forrest Stephens, children of Clifford Stephens, Weapons Command historian, and Eleanor Garisson, Todd and Matthew Garrison, widow and sons of Dorrell Garrison, Rock Island Arsenal museum curator, were on hand for the opening.
Schoner and Stephens donated items that were buried in the capsule and were eager to see how they withstood the almost 50 years
Robert 'Bob' DeWitt, a JMTC engineering technician, began to open the copper box by drilling holes into each corner on the top of the box. He then used metal shears to cut off the top, and when George Eaton, Army Sustainment Command historian, opened the box, it was evident that the contents were in very good condition. In fact, the only damage appeared to be to a Case International replica.
Eaton pulled out many artifacts including a letter addressed to those opening the capsule, coins, phone books, a Sears catalog, Presidential coins for all presidents up to the time the capsule was buried, arsenal memorabilia, books and items donated by individuals, schools and businesses in the Quad Cities area.
Many of the items will be available for the public to see at the River Bandits home game on May 10 during the annual Military Appreciation Day ball game. Selected items will be on display at Building 60 on May 10 and plans are being finalized for display and safe storage of the items.
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