ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A historical mystery in St. Augustine has frustrated a local author after a time capsule was found under the building of the St. Augustine Record but the details of the capsule are being kept a secret.
It was estimated that the time capsule was buried under the old newspaper building around 1906 and was recently found when the newspaper switched buildings a few years ago. The capsule was left unnoticed since the move, until a maintenance man brought it to the publisher Delinda Fogel's attention a couple weeks ago. Around the same time Gary Williams, who's a local author, found out about the time capsule and started asking the paper to see it.
"I just found it very strange that you have a 95-year-old time capsule, even though we know the contents from an old article, but no one seems to want to open it. I know what's in it, there's various paperwork, newspapers, some things from Florida East Coast railroad," said Williams.
Williams said his research shows the time capsule has something to do with Henry Flagler, the millionaire businessman who now has Flagler College named after him.
"I really don't think they're hiding something, I just don't think there's been ownership of what to do with this time capsule. But as an author, yeah I'd like to see that because we could kind of fashion some kind of story around that," he said.
News4Jax reached out to the St. Augustine Record and the editor, Delinda Fogel (pictured below), who said: "I don't think it's newsworthy." She also said it's a metal container and documents that she was "just made aware of a few weeks ago."
Record staffers told News4Jax they're too busy right now covering the 450th Celebration coming up to worry about planning to open a time capsule but when things settle down they will figure out what to do with it. However, when News4Jax asked to see the capsule, Fogel said "no" because then she would have to honor every request that came in. Williams said he would still like a chance to see this part of history.
"This was a Flagler built building back in 1906," Williams said. "The time capsule may have even been put in place himself. There's no documentation, but it's a possibility. But I would just like to see it open and see what's inside it."
It's unclear when, if ever this time capsule will be opened. The St. Augustine Record indicated it will make a decision after the 450th Celebration is over and Fogel said she's considered waiting until the city's 500th birthday to open it.