Nearly 200-year-old time capsule found in West Point's Kosciuszko monument

West Point announced the discovery on August 15 and showed photos of the capsule two day later.

"This time capsule is truly a unique discovery, and we are excited to open it and see what the cadets left us nearly two centuries ago," West Point quoted U.S. Military Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Steve Gilland as saying.

"The capsule’s contents will certainly add to the West Point story and is another example of past generations of cadets gripping hands with present and future generations," the genral added.

West Point explained in the statement that "the original base and column were designed by John H.B. Latrobe, an ex-cadet from the Class of 1822, and paid for by cadets". "The eight-and-a-half-foot bronze statue of Thaddeus Kosciuszko was mounted on the column 85 years later and donated by the Polish Clergy and Laity of the United States in 1913," we read.

"In 2021, during an inspection, the column and base had structural cracks and the statue was removed and placed in storage. The capsule was found in 2023 when the monument's base was removed from the site," the academy said.

"X-rays of the container conducted by the academy’s Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering were inconclusive," it added.

The official ceremony of opening of the capsule and unveiling its contents has been scheduled for August 28 at Robinson Auditorium in Thayer Hall.

"The academy plans to continue the tradition by placing a time capsule into the rebuilt base of the monument," West Point said.

The U. S. Military Academy at West Point is a four-year, co-educational, federal, liberal arts college located 50 miles north of New York City. It was founded in 1802 as America's first college of engineering and continues today as the world's premier leader-development institution, consistently ranked among top colleges in the country.

Its mission remains constant - to educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the nation as an officer in the U. S. Army.