History Uncovered During Elkhorn Valley Demolition

A collection of history has been uncovered during the demolition of the Elkhorn Valley School building in Tilden. 

During the demolition on Thursday, workers uncovered a sealed time capsule within the building. 

According to superintendent Keith Leckron, the capsule was found while removing the cornerstone.

"The cornerstone of the 1913 building was removed because we are going to save it, and it (the time capsule) was inside," Leckron said. 

Behind the cornerstone was a sealed copper box. Inside, multiple items were stored, dating up to the construction of the 1913 school building.

A copy of the Tilden Citizen, dating July 4, 1913, was one of the pieces inside the box. In the paper, an article, titled "Laying The Cornerstone," talks about the ceremony planned to lay the cornerstone.

"The cornerstone of the new school building will be laid on Tuesday, July 8th. The ceremony will be an impressive one and a large gathering is expected to be present."

The article also talks about the time capsule being placed inside.

"The cornerstone contains a pocket in which will be placed as complete a history of the school district as can be obtained from the existing records, data concerning the local masonic lodge, the names of various public officials, a copy of this paper and possibly a few coins of the period."

Curt Qualset, the Technology Coordinator and Football/Basketball Coach for Elkhorn Valley Schools, was amazed by the condition of the documents in the time capsule and how they have lasted for over 100 years. 

"They way these pages have been preserved is just incredible," Qualset said. 

As said in the article, many items were included in the capsule, including pictures of different buildings in Tilden, bank statements about the school and a note from the supervisor of Kirkland & Hill, the company tasked with building the 1913 school building in Tilden.

A bibe was another item that was a part of the capsule. Written inside the bible is a note, saying the bible would be given to Sophia D. Hill in 1858 from John F. Newhall. The bible was printed in Philadelphia by J. B. Lippincott & Co. in 1856. 

Elkhorn Valley Schools started construction on the new building in February of 2017. The new high school building sits next to the site of the 1913 building. School will start in the new building in the fall.