After nearly 50 years, the time capsule buried under the bandshell in Shamrock Park in 1974 to commemorate Bel Air’s centennial was extracted this spring by a Town Department of Public Works crew as the Town celebrates its 150th anniversary.
The large concrete container, which was taken from under the stage using a DPW backhoe on April 18, had been sitting in water that pooled around it over the years, plus about 2 inches of water was found inside when the time capsule was opened. The water had collected in and around the box as groundwater seeped up and rainwater made its way down the park’s sloping field towards the William A. Humbert Amphitheater.
“The path of least resistance, that’s what [the water] takes,” Bryan Mullaney, Operations Chief for the Department of Public Works, said on June 7 while showing the items that had been removed from the time capsule.
The amphitheater was built in 1974; the back of the facility was expanded in 1999, and then the front of the stage was expanded in 2003. The bricks in front of the stage had to be removed so DPW staff could access the time capsule. The concrete container was sitting in water that had collected under the stage.
Many of the items had been destroyed or heavily damaged from sitting in the water for 50 years, but a handful were salvaged. These items – many of which bear the Harford County Courthouse-inspired logo of the Bel Air Centennial celebration in August of 1974 -- include a coin, a commemorative piece of jewelry, ashtray, commemorative dishes, a license plate and others.
A handful of envelopes, filled with documents and addressed to the children of people living in Bel Air in 1974, also were rescued from the time capsule along with a copy of The Aegis newspaper from Aug. 1, 1974, a flyer advertising Bel Air Centennial events and a record titled “The Sounds of Bel Air.” The edition of The Aegis has photos on its front page showing several women milking cows for a milking contest that was part of the Centennial celebration.
Items that could be salvaged from the 1974 time capsule will be on display during the Town’s time capsule celebration in Shamrock Park on July 4. The celebration will be at the amphitheater, scheduled to start at 12:30 p.m. after the Independence Day community events slated for that morning have concluded.
The celebration includes performances by the Bel Air Community Band and baton twirlers with TwirlTasTix, as well as an appearance by Gianna Romero, Miss Bel Air 2024, and members of the Board of Town Commissioners. In case of inclement weather, call 410-803-9784 the day of the event for updates.
Visitors are encouraged to bring small items to place in the next time capsule, a steel box painted in Bel Air colors that will remain above ground until it is opened during the celebration of Bel Air’s 200th anniversary in 2074.
Contact Media and Public Relations Specialist David Anderson at 410-838-7181 or danderson@belairmd.org.