A time capsule was finally opened on Wednesday after spending 133 years buried under a Civil War statue.
The 1887 capsule was discovered last week in the pedestal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia, CNN reports.
It took historical preservation experts several hours to get the corroded lead container open. After almost a whole day of chipping away at the box, Gov. Ralph Northam was finally able to lift the capsule's lid and reveal its contents around 3:00PM.
There were only a few items inside: a rust-colored 1875 almanac, two whithered books, a silver coin, and a cloth envelope thought to contain a piece of paper and a picture.
Of the two books, one has a tattered pink cover and appears to be an edition of The Huguenot Lovers: A Tale of the Old Dominion by Richmond civil engineer Collinson Pierrepont Edwards Burgwyn.
All the items were considerable water-damaged from moisture that had gathered inside the box, making the job of removing them particularly fiddly.
While they may be mysterious and fascinating, the artifacts are not exactly what experts were expecting to find.
An 1887 newspaper article suggested that the capsule would contain Civil War memorabilia and "a picture of Lincoln lying in his coffin." Meanwhile, records from the Library of Virginia lead experts to believe that there would be over 60 objects in the capsule which was a large copper box.
Since the small lead box containing scant few items does not match this description, excavators are still being extra careful in case they find something else.
Devon Henry, who was contracted to take down the Lee statue and remove its pedestal, said a second time capsule could yet be found, saying: "I'm as intrigued as everyone."
Erected in 1890, the Lee statue has long been seen as a symbol of racial injustice. Gov. Northram ordered its removal over a year ago in the wake of BLM protests which erupted after the police killing of George Floyd.
Before work began on the capsule, Northram addressed the statue's history, saying: "We are a Commonwealth that embraces diversity. We are inclusive."