Article lists items in stolen time capsule

January 08, 2001

Article lists items in stolen time capsule

By KIMBERLY YAKOWSKI / Staff Writer

Some of the contents of a 24-year-old time capsule stolen from Hagerstown City Park have recently come to light.

An empty can of Coors beer, a bottle of strawberry-scented Harvest shampoo and the book "Helter Skelter," were some of the items placed in the time capsule by a Community Action Council youth group, according to a Herald-Mail article.

The time capsule was scheduled to be buried on July 7, 1976, near the entrance to the Washington County Fine Arts Museum under the direction of Pat Ogle, who was then assistant youth director at CAC.

Ogle said in the article written before the capsule was buried, the time capsule will be filled "things we feel are relevant to the youth of today."

A dedication ceremony was to be held in conjunction with a Youth Day celebration, the article said.

The beer, shampoo and book were some of the initial items placed in the capsule and more things were expected, said Ogle.

The book Helter Skelter was placed inside the capsule because it noted the activities of the Charles Manson cult during the 1970s. There was no indication why the beer or shampoo were included.

CAC Director Cheryl Walkley said in December most employees had forgotten about the time capsule and no one was really sure what was in it. She couldn't be reached for comment Sunday.

The article was provided by John Perrott, an employee with Jamison Door Co. of Hagerstown which designed and built the time capsule.

Perrott said he noticed the article and picture of the time capsule on a wall at Jamison a long time ago but never thought much about it until reading that it had been stolen.

He faxed the 1976 Herald-Mail article to the newsroom last week.

"I thought it would have some insight," he said.

A maintenance worker at the museum noticed the time capsule was taken in September 2000 and reported it the Hagerstown City Police.

Thieves used two metal bars to pry open a rock enclosure containing the time capsule.

Lt. Gary Spielman said the investigation has stalled for lack of evidence.

A plaque which had been attached to the time capsule was left at the site. The inscription said it was presented by the youth group on July 7, 1976, and was to be "opened by the people of this area on July 7, 2026."

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