A time capsule that was buried in 1976 under the flagpole at Remsen’s former City Hall has been unearthed and opened.
Rachel Keffeler, city administrator of the northwest Iowa town, says the capsule was packed with all sorts of memorabilia from community groups that were popular 50 years ago.
“Our Christian Mothers organization, our Foresters, the different city council meeting minutes, a cookbook, yearbooks from the high school,” Keffeler says. “We had our police logs from 1976 in there. So it’s funny to see the activity that was going on in town that was problematic then versus what’s problematic now.”
The box was buried on July 4th of 1976 with the goal of it being opened this year, during the nation’s 250th anniversary. The city intends to rebury the capsule and is reaching out to local businesses to contribute items to include.
“We want to do like their menu, a weekly ad so that in 50 years they can look back and be like, ‘Oh, a cheeseburger was X amount of dollars. Right now it’s this much,’” Keffeler says. “Pictures of the businesses or establishments showing what Remsen looks like in 2026 versus what it’s going to look like in 50 years.”
The town of about 1,800 residents is considered a legacy community, where many families have lived over multiple generations. Keffeler says the time capsule will help create a connection between Remsen residents now and in the future.
“Young families that had moved away for their education, now they’re starting their families and they’re coming back here and there’s a reason that they come back,” Keffeler says. “Their roots are strong and the sense of community and what Remsen stands for is important to them and their values. So I think it’s important to keep passing that on.”
The capsule is scheduled to be opened again in 2076. That’s 300 years after the founding of the United States and a century after the capsule itself was first buried.
