Assemblage of items found in the time capsule / NPS

Contractors working on the foundation of the historic Good Fellow Lodge, on the southern shore of Lake Michigan, part of Indiana Dunes National Park, discovered something totally unexpected last week. A sealed time capsule from 1941, mortared into the foundation.

The sealed copper box was laid into place on January 18, 1941. Inside was a large piece of folded tarpaper, closed like an envelope. It contained a silk 48-star American flag, and a few written notes as well as a newspaper clipping from 1940. 

The newspaper clipping was a chilling reminder of disastrous world events in 1940. FRENCH PONDER TRUCE TERMS is the headline on the front page, with much of the rest of the page dominated by news of World War II, the year before the U.S. entered the conflct. France had only been invaded 5 weeks prior at that point. 

Newspaper clipping from June, 1940 / NPS

The 48-star American flag / NPS

Text of the dedication speech for the lodge / NPS

The camp was built by U.S. Steel as a place for their employees' children to spend the summer, recreating outdoors. It was the only such camp the company made and was in service from 1941 to 1976. The National Park Service bought the property in 1976. The time capsule was part of a ceremony as the last bit of the foundation was laid. A written speech inside the capsule reads:

"All of us realize that in a few moments we shall have dedicated these premises, rich in historic lore and tradition, for the mental, physical, and moral growth of our Youth. In doing so, we are performing one of the most important functions that befall men in each generation. We should not take any personal pride in the work any one of us has performed in developing this Youth Camp. Rather we should consider it a sacred duty, in harmony with the principles we honor individually, and pursue collectively as a natural development of our democratic way of life.

“On behalf of the directors and members of the Good Fellow Club of Gary Works; on behalf of the directors of the Illinois Steel Company Welfare Center; on behalf of all those who have devoted many hours of work toward its development, as well as those who will share here-after in its benefits, I dedicate the camp by laying this cornerstone this eighteenth day of January, 1941.”

Officials at Indiana Dunes National Park plan to formally display the pieces discovered in the time capsule soon.