Century-old time capsule found in Confederate statue opened to reveal $50 bill, a 1911 article about chicken and waffles, and mini Rebel flags
- The capsule was found in the 'Johnny Reb' statue at Orlando's Lake Eola Park
- Was being moved to a nearby cemetery after residents and officials complained
- Capsule also contained Confederate money and multiple newspaper clippings
- Chicken and waffle dinner was advertised as $1 plate, with 'plenty of gravy'
A century-old time capsule discovered inside a Confederate statue in an Orlando park has been opened up, unveiling a trove of preserved treasures.
A $50 Confederate bill, a newspaper article about chicken and waffles, and a letter from February 15, 1911 were among the items found in the rusty metal box.
Also found inside were miniature rebel flags, minutes from a 1910 statewide United Daughters of the Confederacy conference, and multiple newspaper clippings.
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A February 9, 1911 edition of the South Florida Sentinel was tucked inside, advertising a 'dinner-dance' with a chicken and waffle meal that - it noted - would be served 'WITH PLENTY OF GRAVY' at $1 per plate.
There were also February 14, 1911 editions of the Daily Reporter-Star and Orange County Citizen, seeming to confirm historians' belief the capsule was buried in 1911.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said he expected to find a 'box full of dust' when the capsule was opened at City Hall on Tuesday, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
'I'm surprised there's so much intact here,' he said during the unveiling.
The capsule was opened by the city locksmiths Richard Grabe and Brain Haines, who drilled a series of holes into the box to keep the 'damage minimal'.
They were unable to use a key because the box's lock mechanism had deteriorated too severely.
Then Orlando's Historic Preservation Officer Richard Forbes carefully removed each item from the box one at a time.
Forbes said it is likely the items in the box were in danger of being ruined due to a hole in the capsule that had opened from the rust.
'I think if we had not opened it this year, in the coming years...the conditions would've worsened quite quickly,' he told Fox 35.
The capsule was discovered when city workers were moving a controversial Confederate statue known as 'Johnny Reb' from Lake Eola Park in June.
Residents and officials argued the statue, which has stood in the park since 1917, was a monument to racism.
It is being moved and will be reassembled at Greenwood Cemetery on a plot for Confederate soldiers.
Orlando's chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy were demanding the capsule's return at the time of the opening, arguing it rightfully belonged to them.
The Annie Coleman Chapter commissioned the statue in 1911 and in June a member of the group filed a suit in small-claims court against the city.
'We believe the city should have waited until the courts decided who owns the time capsule,' UDC attorney Justin Waters told the Sentinel.
'Essentially, I see it as stealing from elderly women,' he said, adding he believed the city had done 'irreparable damage' by opening the capsule.
Meanwhile, city officials said an archived program from the statue's unveiling ceremony in 1911 proves it was presented to the city and that Orlando had accepted the 'care and custody' of it.
A pre-trial conference is set for September and Dyer said the city has not yet been served with the lawsuit.
Orlando will donated the capsule's items, which are being processed and preserved, to the Orange County Regional History Center.
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