Frisco City Centennial Time Capsule to remain sealed until October 2088

Time capsule in Frisco City, Alabama.

In any given week, hundreds of people travel past one of Monroe County’s most unique landmarks, but give it little notice.

Frisco City’s Centennial Time Capsule, which is located in Jones Park off Bowden Street in downtown Frisco City, was buried on Dec. 17, 1988 to commemorate the town’s 100^th birthday. The time capsule, which can be found between the park’s gazebo and red caboose, has been there now for a little over 32 years. In that time, many have forgotten its existence, except for the curious few who might bother to take a closer look.

I found myself in Frisco City the other day and had a little time to kill. I stopped my truck at the park with an eye towards reading the plaque that’s affixed to the top of the brick and cement vault that contains the time capsule. I was 12 years old and well remember the day when the capsule was buried, but I hadn’t had a close look at it in several years.

Those of you who have read the plaque atop the time capsule will know that it reads as follows: FRISCO CITY CENTENNIAL TIME CAPSULE – Placed Here In 1988 – Do Not Open Until Oct. 2088 – Time Capsule Contains No Articles Of Any Monetary Value – Town of Frisco City, Ala. – Mayor Billy McCrory – Council Members Billy Hoffman, Joe Ikner, Jimmy McKinley, Juanita Richardson – Town Clerk Diane Godwin.

According to newspaper accounts, the time capsule was designed and built by retired contractor Ollie Wiggins. Only about a foot and a half of the vault containing the capsule is above ground. The rest of it extends down beneath the earth another three feet or so.

The capsule itself consists of a steel box that’s 36 inches long, 24 inches deep and 24 inches wide. This box contains nine tubes made of PVC pipe and is sealed in tar and lead to preserve its contents. In all, the capsule weighs about 150 pounds.

The steel box containing the time capsule is encased in a vault that has concrete walls about 12 inches thick. These walls are reinforced with steel rods that run from top to bottom of the vault. Workers filled the empty spaces inside the vault with sand to further protect its contents from the elements.

As you would imagine, the time capsule is jam-packed with a long list of historical items, documents and photographs. Items in the capsule include a Bible, copies of The Monroe Journal and The County View, a Monroe County promotional video, a copy of “Taxes and Termites” by Shorty Culpepper, an assortment of newspaper articles, historical journals, a 1988 Monroe County telephone book, copies of Time magazine and Southern Pine’s magazine, a 1988 calendar, an almanac, aerial photos of Frisco City, centennial publications and memorabilia, Christmas parade photos, photos of important buildings in the town, rosters of the fire and police departments, Frisco City High School’s 1988 yearbook, family histories and photographs, a broken Snoopy watch, a two-ounce bottle of Dr. Tichenor’s mouthwash and a wide variety of other items.

This time capsule is truly one of the most unique landmarks in all of Monroe County, so if you ever find yourself in Frisco City with a few minutes to kill, take the time to stop and see it for yourself. As far as I know, this is the only time capsule of its type in all of Monroe County, which makes it all the more unique. If anyone in the reading audience knows of any other time capsules, please let me know because I’d like to venture out and see them for myself.

(Got a comment or question? E-mail Lee Peacock at leepeacock2002@hotmail.com.)