Burleith Time Capsule

By Max Langenbacher

some of the items max placed in the time capsule.

max langenbacher before his date with the future.

What will future people think about us today?

A time capsule is a great way to show what things were like in 2016. I had a lot of fun making one. I put in some personal items, like an award I got from Kumon (for math drills) and a picture of my family when we went to the Eiffel Tower in Paris a couple of years ago.

I also wrote a letter about my current life—where I go to school (I’m in 8th grade at Washington Latin), where I live, what I like to do, my family in the US, Canada, and Japan, and my friends. I also put a copy of the Washington Post newspaper (with articles about the Zika virus and Hillary Clinton’s presidential primary campaign), a copy of the Burleith Bell, a dollar bill (they might not exist in the future!), and an Obama-Biden campaign button. But the most important part of all is that I used an old Thomas the Tank Engine metal lunch box to hold all these things. My brother and I loved playing with those toys when I was a little boy (now I am 14).

Max takes one last look at his childhood lunchbox as Ross Schipper prepares to seal up the call box.

On April 1, we put the time capsule in the call box at S and 36th Streets and then glued it shut. I look forward to when someone opens the time capsule in 50 or 60 years. I would like to remember who I was in 2016 and compare the future to the present.

For a summary of the call box restoration project, click here.