Efforts to unearth a time capsule buried 50 years ago as part of the city’s sesquicentennial celebration have come to a halt.
The time capsule, buried Sept. 23, 1969, at the G.A.R. Soldiers Monument in North Royalton Cemetery, was reportedly moved to a new location due to land restrictions set by the V.F.W., the owner of the burial site, which was unknown by city officials at the time of the capsule’s burial, according to an article in the Royalton Recorder dated Oct. 23, 1969.
However, no record was kept as to the time capsule’s new location and officials haven’t come across any archival information that might disclose the time capsule’s current whereabouts.
“Unknown to Sesquicentennial officials, the land on which the Sesqui Time Capsule was buried fell within the Veterans Memorial property,” the archival report states. “Since this land has been separately deeded to the V.F.W. and since there are definite restrictions on its use, the Time Capsule has been removed from this property. The Sesqui Time Capsule has now been buried in a different location.”
Officials are unaware of any follow-up articles written about the Sesqui Time Capsule and no one has come forward with any more information.
The news is disappointing to Mayor Robert Stefanik, who along with representatives from the North Royalton Historical Society, spent time researching the relic.
“We went up to the cemetery area with metal detectors and we even dug into the ground, but we didn’t find anything,” Stefanik said.
Better records will be kept this time around, as the City plans to bury another time capsule in honor of the community’s 200th birthday, which falls officially on Oct. 27.
“The City will hold a public ceremony to bury a new time capsule and the exact location will be recorded,” Stefanik said. “This capsule will be opened in 50 years and it will be buried on the Historical Society’s museum property.”
Plans call so far for the various service clubs to put memorabilia into the time capsule, along with the schools and local churches, Stefanik said. Newspaper editions will also be added including the Royalton Recorder and The Plain Dealer.
Another time capsule rumored to have been buried in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial is thought to be located near the Gazebo on the City Green, but its existence is still being investigated. It may have been lost in the construction process when the North Royalton Lions Club performed a service project to redo the Gazebo site.

By SARA MACHO HILL
Contributing Writer