The Time Capsule - Discover Roxbury

Ferdinand's Time Capsule

On June 25, 2008, a ceremony was held at Roxbury Heritage State Park to reveal the contents of a time capsule found during the Ferdinand Building renovations. The contents of the capsule were shown to the public and subsequently transferred to the Roxbury Historical Society. Among the contents - all of which are from 1922 - were copies of the Boston Evening Transcript and the Boston Post, advertisements for furniture from Ferdinand's Blue Store, and a list of the store's employees.

Video of the event is available via Neighborhood News Network.

Given the history and importance of the Ferdinand site, the City of Boston is planning to place another time capsule in the new building which will be erected on the site. The City is also seeking input from Roxbury residents about what the contents for the new time capsule should be. If you have suggestions for what should be included, please email Discover Roxbury at info@discoverroxbury.org and we will pass on your ideas.

Below are photos from the event. The crowd was very excited and enthusiastic about the time capsule and the ceremony. Given that our children, grandchildren, and great grandchilden may see the new time capsule opened decades from now, what do we want future generations to remember from this period in time?

Some current ideas for the next time capsule:

A copy of the Roxbury Literary AnnualRoxbury Film Festival brochureRoxbury Open Studios brochureRoxbury Cultural Network brochureDiscover Roxbury materialsMenus from current restaurants in Dudley areaA copy of the Bay State BannerA book with signatures and messages from current Roxbury residentsPictures of the new and old Washington StreetNew and old pics of Dudley StationNew and old pics of Malcolm X BoulevardInformation about the Black CaucusA history of Roxbury's diverse cultural mixMention of Roxbury's past and current leaders