Time marches on: Tyrone time capsule buried 50 years ago opened: ‘It’s nice to see our history again’
Bonnie Hamer flips through a book of names signed by Tyrone residents in 1976 that was retrieved from the borough’s bicentennial time capsule Friday. Mirror photo by Matt Churella
The family of Beulah Ellenberger holds up an original bicentennial flag afghan. From left: Andrew Ellenberger, Beulah’s grandson; Deb Ellenberger, Andrew’s wife; Emma Ellenberger, Beulah’s great-great-granddaughter; Mike Ellenberger, Beulah’s great-grandson; and Stephen Ellenberger, Beulah’s grandson. Mirror photo by Matt Churella
Tyrone Area Historical Society Vice President Andrew Smith cleans a plate that was buried in the borough’s bicentennial time capsule, which was excavated Friday. Mirror photo by Matt Churella
Larrie Derman removes a plate from the Tyrone bicentennial time capsule Friday. Mirror photo by Matt Churella
Bonnie Hamer flips through a book of names signed by Tyrone residents in 1976 that was retrieved from the borough’s bicentennial time capsule Friday. Mirror photo by Matt Churella
The family of Beulah Ellenberger holds up an original bicentennial flag afghan. From left: Andrew Ellenberger, Beulah’s grandson; Deb Ellenberger, Andrew’s wife; Emma Ellenberger, Beulah’s great-great-granddaughter; Mike Ellenberger, Beulah’s great-grandson; and Stephen Ellenberger, Beulah’s grandson. Mirror photo by Matt Churella
Tyrone Area Historical Society Vice President Andrew Smith cleans a plate that was buried in the borough’s bicentennial time capsule, which was excavated Friday. Mirror photo by Matt Churella
Larrie Derman removes a plate from the Tyrone bicentennial time capsule Friday. Mirror photo by Matt Churella
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TYRONE -- Digging up the Tyrone bicentennial time capsule Friday brought back a lot of memories for Larrie Derman, who was there when it was buried 50 years ago next to "the Big Spring" monument at the corner of Washington Avenue and West 10th Street.
With the exception of a few items, most of the belongings within the time capsule, unfortunately, were not salvageable, said Tyrone Area Historical Society Vice President Andrew Smith.
"I thought it would be a little better sealed than what we had," Smith said.
A crowd of about 40 people gathered at the site to view the items laid out on a table, including damaged newspaper clippings, a damaged bicentennial banner, a couple plates, a 1976 Christmas ornament and a pair of glasses with no lenses.
The capsule also contained a bicentennial flag afghan that was homemade by Beulah Ellenberger, who stitched acrylic yarn on the backing of curtain material.
What came out of the time capsule was "just a pile of acrylic yarn" because all of the organic stitching was "all rotted out," said Andrew Ellenberger, Beulah's grandson, who's still in possession of the original afghan.
The one in the time capsule was a copy, Ellenberger said.
"I remember my grandmother making both of these flags. My wife has the original and then this was the copy," he said. "It just brings back a lot of memories of 50 years ago."