Whats inside; will there be anything mysterious?
(http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/GTY_boston_lion_time_capsule_sk_140924_16x9_992.jpg)
http://abcnews.go.com/US/boston-puzzling-time-capsule-lions-head/story?id=25728705
Quote
Bostonians have long been abuzz about the possibility that a time capsule could be hidden inside one of the city's iconic statues. Now, Boston.com has confirmed that the rumor is, indeed, true.
A 113-year-old time capsule was apparently hidden inside of the lion statue on top of the Old State House, which came down for repairs on Sunday, along with its sister statue, a silver unicorn. The time capsule rumors were first reported by Boston magazine last month, when it was announced that the statues would come down for maintenance.
When the statues arrived at Woburn's Skylight Studios on Monday for restoration, conservator Robert Shure found a copper box stashed inside the lion statue's head. Shure told Boston.com that the capsule was soldered shut, and he is still figuring out the best way to remove and open the box. Bostonians at least have a hint of what's inside, though — a 1901 Boston Globe article says the capsule contains "contributions from state and city officials, the Boston daily newspapers, the name of the maker of the lion and unicorn, and others."
http://theweek.com/speedreads/index/268709/speedreads-113-year-old-time-capsule-discovered-inside-bostons-old-state-house-statue
So why were they putting up the symbols of the British Empire 113 years ago in Boston?
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Royal_Coat_of_Arms_of_the_United_Kingdom_%28Both_Realms%29.svg/400px-Royal_Coat_of_Arms_of_the_United_Kingdom_%28Both_Realms%29.svg.png)
The lion and the unicorn as they appear on both versions of the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom. In the Scottish version (shown right) the two have switched places and both are crowned, and the lion on top is coloured red.
SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lion_and_the_Unicorn
The Lion and the Unicorn are symbols of the United Kingdom. They are, properly speaking, heraldic supporters appearing in the full Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom. The lion stands for England and the unicorn for Scotland. The combination therefore dates back to the 1603 accession of James I of England who was already James VI of Scotland. By extension, they have also been used in the Coat of Arms of Canada since 1921. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lion_and_the_Unicorn
Quote from: Pimander on September 25, 2014, 11:19:18 AM
So why were they putting up the symbols of the British Empire 113 years ago in Boston?
Pim, It sure is intetesting symbology, I'll say.
The Lion and The Unicorn were originally wood, back in the days of the Original Boston Statehouse which at that time served as The Massachusetts Town House: seat of the colony government in 1713 through 1776.
With Boston being the birthplace of the American Revolution, perhaps the symbols were left there for historical reasons? It is possible that there may be something more mysterious hidden in the Lion, not too likely, yet intriquing to think it might hold secrets from the Stonemasons, or a treasure map. ;)
A Rendering; The Original Statehouse in the Background.
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/Boston_Massacre_high-res.jpg)
"Boston Massacre high-res" by Engrav'd Printed & Sold by Paul Revere Boston. The print was copied by Revere from a design by Henry Pelham for an engraving eventually published under the title "The Fruits of Arbitrary Power, or the Bloody Massacre," of which only two impressions could be located by Brigham. Revere's print appeared on or about March 28, 1770. - http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsc.00174. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boston_Massacre_high-res.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Boston_Massacre_high-res.jpg
This could be very interesting to watch, actually. I think it depends on how honest and how politically correct the people first viewing the contents choose to be, if it isn't simply opened for a larger group first to verify contents without those issues.
In a quinkydink of coincidence, the period of US history I'm in for my course right now is 1890-1900 or so and across a wide range of factors for America in that period. In that context, I think back to what our nation was really like and what people really felt and believed in 1900 and, oh my yes, that could be a very enlightening collection of personal thoughts, newspaper articles of contemporary interest and the 'litter' of daily life that says more about a time period than a stack of history books combined.
For instance....Anarchism was on the rise and coming into it's own as a legitimate political approach to consider in that time. Racism wasn't simply a factor. It was deeply institutional to everything of the period, depending greatly on which minority we'd be talking about. Firearms were mail order and I have an ad from that period advertising the safety of one small handgun by showing a little girl (child) with it casually in bed. How might a collection of things people of the time thought were representative reflect those and a lot of other values for a period which is almost alien to America today?
On the flip side? I think the fact it has remained all this time and people who were alive when it was put there didn't steal it during the very hard times we now know were to come to them, speaks to the fact it has cultural and social value, not monetary value. At least that is my take.