Either someone forgot to stow away treasured items in the Derry, New Hampshire town time capsule back in 1969, or items were taken before the capsule was opened this month. Regardless, residents are baffled that their time capsule unveiling was a bust, with absolutely nothing inside, after being safely stored away for 50 years. Derry Library Director, Cara Potter, told WMUR TV that she was "a little horrified" to see the empty safe.
The failed mission put a damper on plans to display the capsule's contents at the Londonderry Old Home Day Celebration this month. Potter says the capsule was moved to different locations throughout Derry over the last 50 years, providing opportunities for items to have been lost or stolen along the way. Fortunately, or maybe not, the safe's combination was taped to the back of the time capsule. There is the possibility though, that this was an innocent mistake, where organizers just dropped the ball, possibly forgetting to fill it or thinking it was being handled by someone else. Another point, astronaut Alan Shepard was born in Derry and Potter says that could have been a draw to fill - or empty - the capsule. She says, "We're speculating that there may have been some Alan Shepard items in there because that was around 50 years ago, and it was just the 50th anniversary of the moon landing so, we just won't know what happened to them." Unfortunately, no list can be found of what was supposed to be inside the safe.
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