“It’s a snapshot in time.”
The quote, from a Maple Valley Historical Society officer, explains the intent in burying a town’s time capsule. The historical society had been considering “why? when? where? and how come?” for quite a while. It has finally come to fruition. A capsule will be buried somewhere in-or-around Maple Valley before the end of the month.
Items inside the capsule will capture one year of Maple Valley history, August 2021 through August 2022. Some of the tiniest artifacts are those that may no longer be a part of daily living fifty years from now – a postage stamp, gas receipt, driver’s license, movie ticket stub, and coins minted in 2021-2022. Other items are indicative of the difficult time in the past year when the coronavirus changed lives. A Covid test kit, face mask and hand sanitizer are in the capsule, along with a vaccine record and a shirt pin that announces, “I’ve been shot!”. Opening the time capsule will be like walking into a curio shop.
Photos within the capsule depict the three Maple Valleys that are connected by seven stoplights – the ‘downtown’ area with original stores boarded up, Wilderness Village, and a booming Four Corners. There is also the last print version of “Visitor Business Guide” along with top news story headlines and advertising with food prices and discounts in the past year.
With then-and-now photos and articles, two historic Maple Valley homesteads are documented in the capsule; they were built on land purchased in the late 1800’s and where sixth generation family members who are still in residence.
Those who want to tweak their curiosity about the capsule can visit the historical society museums, located on the grounds of Maple Valley Community Center, Witte Road. An envelope titled “Obituary” is locked behind a glass cabinet. The front of the envelope has a message from “Time Capsule” that will then be in its final resting place.
