Historic society to unveil contents of 1901 time capsule

A century-old time capsule found inside the golden lion statue at Boston’s Old State House building will be opened during a private ceremony on Oct. 9 in Woburn.

The Bostonian Society, a historical preservation organization, has placed sculptor Robert Shure in charge of restoring both the historic lion and unicorn statues at the Old State House, once the time capsule, sealed in 1901, is removed.

“As historians, we like anything that involves people getting excited about history and the building,” said Heather Leet, director of development at the Bostonian Society. “We like to think of the Old State House as a time capsule itself filled with amazing treasures.”

The time capsule’s contents will provide Bostonians with insight into what life was like over a century ago, said Elizabeth Roscio, library and archives manager at the society.

“The contents of the time capsule give us a glimpse into the things Bostonians in 1901 thought were important,” Roscio said. “As soon as we are able to retrieve those materials, we are able to share them with the public.”

Leet said Shure is well qualified to restore the historic lion and unicorn statues, a task he has been charged with before.

“It’s like a homecoming because I did work with them extensively in 1992, so this is the second time they are here,” Shure said. “The statue is pretty good structurally so it mostly involves renewing the gold leaf finish, the gilding,” he said. “And then in the case of the unicorn, the palladium leaf, so it’s a matter of stripping the previous coating and then removing the gilding.”

The Bostonian Society received a letter from a descendant of one the original sculptors with a detailed list of the contents of the time capsule, Leet said. After the contents are removed, they will be put on display at the Old State House Museum.

“When the lion and unicorn are restored, we’re hoping to do a ceremony when we put them back on the building, announce what’s in the time capsule and invite the public out,” Leet said.

Shure and his team from Skylight Studios, which specializes in sculpture renovations, will remove the time capsule and work to restore the statues over the next six weeks, Shure said.

Roscio said preserving the two historically significant statues is critical.

“The statues, the lion and the unicorn, represent England and Scotland,” Roscio said. “They were torn down during the reading of the Declaration of Independence, and they were down for a number of years. When the building was restored, the statues were returned to their original location. So they are kind of honoring the original intent of the building. The statues of the lion and the unicorn are just important to the history of the building and the history of Boston.”

After the capsule is removed, it will be relocated to the offices of the Bostonian Society, where Roscio will begin to analyze the contents of the time capsule and add them to the museum’s collection, she said.

The Bostonian Society is inviting the public to offer suggestions on what to place in the new time capsule, planned to replace the 1901 copper box. While the Bostonian Society has confirmed that a 2013 Boston Marathon medal will be placed in the new capsule, no other items have been slated for the new capsule at this time.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article said the private ceremony to open the time capsule from the lion statue would be held on Thursday, when in fact it will be held on Oct 9. The article has been updated to reflect this change.