100-year-old time capsule unearthed from Brosnan building; contents shared at public celebration

Parts of the following article are based on a personal account written by Board of Education Trustee Carol Taylor, who shared it with the Journal.

The contents of a 100-year-old time capsule, placed within a cornerstone at the William J. Brosnan building (then the Laurel Avenue School) on February 15, 1924, were revealed at the June 20 Northport-East Northport board of education (BOE) meeting. The existence of the time capsule was learned during research for the Brosnan building’s centennial celebration. Finding the actual location of the capsule involved more research, a few coincidences and a whole lot of teamwork. 

The search for the time capsule – which began with a casual conversation – was a welcome and interesting interruption to the daily routines of students and staff, said Trustee Carol Taylor. “The search involved many very busy people. But this inherited puzzle excited everyone involved. Pausing to reflect on the treasure of our local school history reminds us of our continued shared value of educating our children for their future.”

Contents of the capsule, opened by Taylor, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Dave Moyer and BOE President Larry Licopoli in front of a standing-room only crowd in the Brosnan building cafeteria, included a Northport PTA Yearbook from 1924, a copy of the New York Times and Northport Journal, a felt Northport pennant, a list of students in the school, a bible, a United States flag with 48 stars, a school directory, and the by-laws of the Jonas S. Higbee Council.

How it began
While at a Chamber of Commerce meeting in East Northport, Dr. Moyer approached Trustee Taylor about the Brosnan building’s 100th birthday. Taylor, who worked as the education coordinator at the Northport Historical Society at the time, had a conversation with Moyer about what they could do to commemorate the milestone.

“As the Northport Historical Society has a program known as the Century Award, I knew the district and WJB would qualify. I set off on a deep dive into our school district’s history,” Taylor wrote in a personal account of how the time capsule was discovered. “As any history buff will tell you, searching through archives is time travel.”

At the Northport Historical Society, Taylor found a grainy photo bearing a date: 1924. Using that clue, she researched historic newspapers and found the Northport Journal’s article on the bricklaying ceremony of the Laurel Avenue School (currently known as the William J. Brosnan building). The article named some of the people in attendance on February 15, 1924: Dr. Quackenbush, president of the board of education, staff, students and community members. The photo in the article was the same photo Taylor had found in the Northport Historical Society collection.

The article mentioned a gift given to the district: a bricklaying trowel used during construction. 

The same week Taylor started to research, a group of Masons from Northport Alcyone Lodge No. 695, also on Main Street, spotted the trowel while touring the museum and read its inscription. One of the Masons said, “If there was a cornerstone laid, then a Mason must have been involved.” Northport Historical Society Executive Director Terry Reid placed the trowel on her work table, where Taylor discovered it the next day. 

Another timely coincidence, Taylor said: Dr. Quackenbush of the then board of education, was a Mason. 

The Northport Journal article outlined the cornerstone laying ceremony and mentioned the burial of artifacts at the new building’s cornerstone. This prompted another deep dive in search of the artifacts to determine if the artifacts had already been unearthed, Taylor said. She researched milestone-year newspaper articles in search of a story about the artifacts and their possible reveal but found none. Next, she enlisted the help of district employee Patricia Gardiner who had organized the district’s vast artifact holdings, now stored in a room in the Brosnan building. They found no evidence of the buried treasures but did find the original program from the day, which referred to copper boxes and an inventory of artifacts. 

The search for the buried time capsule was on. Armed with the grainy photo used in the 1924 article, Taylor, along with Bob Howard, assistant superintendent for business, and John Lackner, director of buildings and grounds, searched the front of the Brosnan building. “Astonishingly, Mr. Howard identified the side of the building based upon the brickwork pattern and windows displayed in the 1924 photo and found the cornerstone,” Taylor said. “The word ‘thrilling’ does not do justice to that moment. But just as a simple conversation led to a series of archival detective work, a new question arose: Is the copper box still buried?”

Days later, using a special camera and delicately drilling a small pilot hole in the mortar, the box was located.

Help from Rho Kappa
While researching the possible location of the cornerstone, Taylor contacted Claire Moore, faculty adviser of the district’s first History Honor Society, Rho Kappa. Taylor met with Moore and several club students who eagerly accepted the task to examine the school district’s stored artifacts and prepare a presentation for the community during the June 20 board meeting.

As visitors entered the cafeteria of the Brosnan building on the night of the capsule reveal, they were greeted by displays curated by Rho Kappa students that represented each decade of the last century. The displays consisted of a collection of old uniforms, photos, yearbooks and newspaper articles relating to the district’s history. 

The students also presented to the board and audience the story of how the time capsule was discovered, providing context to the location, process and efforts of the honor society, district and Northport Historical Society. 

Oliver Kotowicz, a rising senior at Northport High School, said that it was a privilege to help celebrate the Brosnan building and its remarkable milestone in the district’s history.  

“We gather here tonight to celebrate not only its centennial but also all of the history this building embodies,” Kotowicz said. “We are the first people to open this box since 1924. This time capsule is going to give us a firsthand look into our shared history, as a school district and a community, and it will also help shape our future.”

“A special thanks to the people who put in all of the hard work to make this happen, especially our students who always do a great job and rise to the top when they work on a project,” Moyer said after sorting through the capsule contents in front of an interesting and engaged audience. “Thank you to the community because the school is the community, it is all intertwined, and the fact that so many people came out to experience this together speaks volumes for who we are as a community.”

Preservation and a new capsule
According to district officials, the NENUFSD is pursuing the best options for preserving the contents from the time capsule and will be exploring display options over the summer for students and families to be able to safely view the items. 

A new time capsule will be buried in the fall –  organizers are in the process of determining what items will go in the capsule, including student work and other timely items significant to the district. Students will be assisting in that process as well, with a mission to include items that represent the community’s values. 

The full June 20 BOE meeting can be viewed here. To view the Journal’s video of the time capsule opening, visit our Facebook page here.