Home Guards Temple time capsule opened

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent writer

It was a small and simple box but it provided a bit of a snapshot back to life in Van Wert in the early 20th century.

The contents of the box, which was found inside the cornerstone of the former Home Guards of America Temple on West Main Street, were unveiled at the Van Wert County Foundation Office on Thursday.

The 10×10 inch copper box was discovered last week while crews completed the final phase of demolition at the now empty site. The time capsule was in the cornerstone of the building, and its contents were carefully pulled out of the box by Van Wert Area Economic Development Director Stacy Adam, Van Wert County Historical Society trustee Gary Showalter and Van Wert County Foundation CEO Seth Baker.

“We vaguely knew there was a time capsule there,” Baker said. “We kept the front façade of the building in place because we actually wanted to leave it permanently at the site, but as we started to do more investigative work and had architects and engineers looking at it we had to remove it.”

“When they got down to the cornerstone they were able to separate it from the base and that’s when they found it,” Baker added.

Those contents: three old newspapers dated August, 8, 1905, including the Daily Republican, Home Guards paperwork, an invitation to become a Home Guards member and a medallion.

Unfortunately, all of the contents had sustained long term water damage. The newspapers were somewhat intact, but the paperwork had crumbled and the medallion was rusty.

“It was wet – it was raining the day they were doing the work but it’s a copper box and there’s evidence of (long term) water discoloration,” Baker said.

“They did not have waterproof containers 50 or 100 years ago or longer and they usually are penetrated by water,” Showalter explained.

Before opening the box, Baker shared some of a celebratory speech that was read when the cornerstone was laid 116 years ago. The speech had been preserved as part of a historical archive and its early 20th century style of writing was evident.

“For when this building, so well begun shall have been completed, when it shall have served its purpose in the earth and its brick and stone and steel shall have crumbled into dust, the principles for which it shall stand through the years and in which we believe and for which we contend today shall live on,” the speech read in part.

The building, which was dedicated in June, 1906, was home the business offices of the Home Guards of America, along with a music store, the Home Guard Grocery, several clothing shops, law offices and law library, physicians’ offices and more.

In later years, the building sat empty for nearly 30 years before a partial collapse last fall led to its demolition in December.

Baker said the box and its contents will be turned over to the Van Wert County Historical Society.