50-year-old time capsule opened in Texarkana

TEXARKANA, Texas (KSLA) - History was made again in Texarkana when a time capsule, buried 50 years ago, was unveiled.

Fifty years ago, the Texarkana centennial committee placed a time capsule Sheppard Park that was unearthed on April 12, 2023.

“It’s history that came out of that box a few years ago. It’s special to me; I got a connection because my folks, Joe and Florence Garcia, put something in the box for me and my brother. It was a clip from the Texarkana Gazette the day it was put into the box,” Texarkana resident Mario Garcia said.

The capsule was dug up as Texarkana celebrates its sesquicentennial.

“I thought that it was very cool. There was water; I was like ‘how could water get in there and everything is still intact?’ I thought that was very neat and mind-blowing,” Texarkana resident Nina Fairchild said.

Some people there reminisced about the past.

“I was in junior high when they put it in. So, I said ‘well I should have written a letter to myself.’ Now I can write a letter to my grandchildren if they do it again for 50 years,” Texarkana resident David Peavy said.

An organizer of the opening said steps are taken after the items are found.

“We’re going to go through everything and see what was left for certain people and anything that wasn’t left for people we’re going to try to display tomorrow,” Community Engagement and Parks Project Manager Keith Beason said.

The “Twice as Nice” Sesquicentennial festival is from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday in Texarkana. It’s located in front of the U.S. Federal Courthouse/Post Office on Stateline Avenue.

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