To honor America’s 250th birthday, the City of North Tonawanda buried a time capsule Thursday in front of City Hall, while also digging one up from 50 years ago.
The new time capsule is planned to be opened in another 50 years for America’s tricentennial. Mayor of North Tonawanda Austin Tylec gave a message to the future.
“I hope some of our biggest dreams come true, and I hope one thing remains the same: That the people of North Tonawanda still believe their city's best days are ahead of us," Tylec said. "When you finish looking through the items we've left behind, I hope you continue this tradition. Fill another capsule with your photographs, your stories, your technology, your memories, your challenges, and your hopes.”
In this time capsule, there were patches, a flag and a yearbook from the local high school. Co-chairman of the 1976 time capsule, Tom Miller, said a lot has changed in five decades.
“In 1976, there were no smartphones, no internet, and no social media," Miller said. "Communication traveled more slowly. Photographs were developed on film, and information came from newspapers, radio, and television. The capsule allows us to see the world through the eyes of that generation.”
Tylec believes the new time capsule is an important indicator of history and what the next generations can learn from.
“We are not burying the capsule because 2026 was perfect," Tylex said. "We are burying it because it was ours. These were our challenges, our accomplishments, our disagreements, our celebrations, and our hopes. We did not know exactly what the future would bring, but we believe there was a future here worth investing in.”
The artifacts in the 1976 time capsule will be on display in North Tonawanda City Hall for the next two weeks for the community to see. Click through the gallery above to see more.
