Blast from the past: Streetsboro opens time capsule, an event 50 years in the making

Storm clouds crowded the sky all day Sunday, the second day of Streetsboro's bicentennial birthday bash held in City Park.

Along with all the events held that gloomy Sunday — a Luke Bryan tribute, Jungle Terry and Friends Animal Show, monster truck rides and more — city officials opened a time capsule that, until Aug. 4, had been buried for 50 years in Public Square.

Regrettably, a fair amount of what was inside the capsule was damaged over the years by water. Somewhere along the line, the impermeability of the vessel was compromised. However, some items were intact, and there are plans to attempt rehabilitating some of the memorabilia.

Among the contents: A pack of coins from 1972, a sesquicentennial commemorative coin, a pen from the Sparkle supermarket, and a set of cufflinks and a keychain both engraved with Streetsboro's nickname, "Gateway to Progress." At least one photograph also survived.

People can see what came out of the time capsule at the Singletary House museum on 935 Singletary Drive.

"Whatever we do see here that's still salvageable, we'll try to clean it up a little bit and preserve it over at the Heritage Singletary House over there behind Wal-Mart," said Mike Kuhstos, bicentennial chairperson and Streetsboro Heritage Foundation treasurer.

Though it doesn't have any official hours, Kushstos said the Singletary House museum holds multiple Sunday open houses each month.

Burying the past for half a century

In 1972, Streetsboro's sesquicentennial birthday, Robert French, mayor at the time, and Sesquicentennial Committee President Fred Waage presided over the burial.

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Fifty years later, Kuhstos and Streetsboro native Ken Carman, host of the "Ken Carman Show" on 92.3 The Fan and a Fox 8 sports anchor, took the stage to oversee the opening of the half-century-old time capsule. They were joined by people who were present at the 1972 burial and present-day city officials, including Mayor Glenn Broska.

Carman, emceeing the event, wound up on stage a few minutes before 3 p.m., the allotted hour for time capsule opening. He joked with the crowd, keeping things light while everyone waited for the main event.

"If the capsule isn't here in five minutes," he said, "I'm going to start calling out tax brackets and everybody who owes money to the city." The time capsule arrived on stage shortly after.

Carman introduced Kuhstos, who said it was anyone's guess what they might find upon opening the capsule.

"Nobody took a sneak peek," Kuhstos said. "You guys are going to see this the same time we do."

Mayor Broska addressed the crowd, asking them for a round of applause — a request to which they enthusiastically obliged — for Kuhstos and Parks and Recreation employee Sal Ruffo, a member of the Streetsboro bicentennial committee. He praised the efforts of the men and women in the Parks and Recreation department, saying that they helped to pull the event together.

"Mike [Kuhstos] is kind of like the unofficial official city historian," said Broska "and he's always posting pictures of long ago and far away." When it came time to find someone to chair the bicentennial committee, the mayor said, Kuhstos was the first name that came to mind.

Broska then began opening the time capsule, though it took several attempts. First, he attacked the top of the vessel with a grinder, eventually changing tack to utilize a reciprocating saw.

Finally, while the "Jeopardy" theme song played over the PA system, Ruffo stepped in to give the capsule a few good whacks with a hammer, dislodging the top.

As they tipped the time capsule forward, pointing it at the crowd, some water ran out of the end — a poor omen for the contents inside.

A pulpy wet mass emerged from the time capsule. At some point during its 50-year stint in the ground, the structural integrity must have been compromised, allowing water to seep in. Though the contents were wet, some might be salvageable, and there was still plenty in there that were easily identifiable.

Some of the items were snug in plastic wrap and looked relatively untouched by the moisture.

Ted Hurd and Charles Lindsey, both present for the burial in 1972, were happy to be able to attend the time capsule's opening.

Lindsey was elected to Streetsboro's first City Council in 1970 and was serving as council president in 1972.

"It's something new, anyway, and I enjoyed it," Lindsey said of being able to attend. "I was kind of sorry that they had a leak on the capsule."

Hurd was 21 in 1972 and is a member of Streetsboro's Bicentennial Committee. He said being able to watch the time capsule be opened felt "fabulous."

Streetsboro will be burying a new time capsule on Sept. 17 on the fire department grounds. The day will be filled with community events, details of which can be found on the city's bicentennial website.

"I'm glad to think in the future though, that the new time capsule that we got is totally, without question, guaranteed to be waterproof," Hurd said.

He added that if the soggy remnants of the 1972 capsule are left to dry out for a time, people might be pleasantly surprised at what could be saved.

A letter to future residents from 1972

Hurd's mother, Ruth, was city clerk in 1972. She wrote a letter to the people of Streetsboro in 2022 and enclosed it in the time capsule. The original may have been destroyed, but Ruth luckily made a copy of the letter that Hurd read in-part to the crowd.

"Greetings to the citizens of Streetsboro, 2022," Hurd read. "This letter was written to commemorate the burial of the time capsule, the final fate of our sesquicentennial celebration. Our celebration did not come up to our expectations due to what we thought was a little lack of enthusiasm by the residents, but a bad storm on Friday the 15th really put the damper on the festivities."

In the letter, Ruth described the shifting culture of the 1970s — "an era of long hair and sideburns for boys and long straight hair for girls," — explaining that it was an era of free expression. She wrote about the advancements in automobile safety and health concerns (cancer and heart disease) that still persist today despite predictions then of a cure for cancer. Moon landings were still relatively common place then, but it had been three years since the Apollo 11 mission and people were taking the landings for granted, she said.

"I wish I could've guessed what your questions were today about our way of life back then," wrote Ruth. "For as fast as things are and were moving in 1972, it leaves me in awe to the changes I'm sure have taken place. Certainly, my wish as I write this letter is that I could have been around to participate at the opening of the capsule to see your reaction to what we did. My age of 52 is against me, so perhaps one of my children or grandchildren in your day will represent me and this sesquicentennial committee."

"Here I am, Mom," Hurd said as the crowd applauded.

Contact reporter Derek Kreider at DKreider@Gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: After 50 years Streetsboro opens time capsule from 1972