Capsule buried beneath Kroger to be unearthed soon
Ninety years ago, a time capsule was buried beneath the old IU campus located where some students may find themselves grocery shopping today. The Kroger on 528 S. College Ave. and the parking lot in front of the store, formerly known as Seminary Square, served as the original campus until a fire destroyed it in 1854. But in 1922 former IU President William Lowe Bryan presided over a ceremony to officiate the burying of a time capsule to be recovered and opened ten years from now: April 17, 2022. Bryan, who turned the first spade at the site, included a photograph of himself and all those participating in the ceremony, as well as various other University valuables inside the capsule. To this day, IU archivists and historians are unsure as to the exact location of the capsule and the rest of its contents. “The people of 1822 could not dream the greatness 100 years would bring to the school they were founding,” Bryan told the Indiana Alumnus in 1922. “They did the best in their day. We must do our best in our day. And a greater city and a University far beyond our dreams will meet on April 17, 2022.”71 years following the breaking of the ground and long after the “new campus” had been established, Perry Metz, who was assistant vice president for external affairs at the time, wrote a letter to Herman B Wells, university chancellor, regarding concerns about the capsule. Metz said, come 2022, IU officials would run into difficulties when attempting to locate the capsule and suggested unearthing it. Upon recovering the vessel, the University could help preserve it until 2022. In his response, Wells suggested they leave the capsule untouched until it was officially time to uncover it. As Wells wrote in his letter, he recommended that all information regarding the time capsule, including its specific location, be documented and recorded with the IU Archives. However, no such records seem to exist. IU Archives and university officials know only that it is likely located somewhere beneath the Kroger parking lot. Well, here’s to waiting. But actually, that isn’t the only time capsule hiding around Bloomington. According to IU Archives, most major buildings on campus serve as time capsules themselves. When these buildings were erected, a cornerstone was built inside containing items that marked the significance of each particular building, though the exact contents of each of these capsules is unknown. Buildings you might recognize on campus containing these types of cornerstones include: Herman B Wells Library, Ernie Pyle Hall, the Kirkwood Observatory, Owen Hall, the Hutton Honors College and Bryan House.
