Souvenir coins, scrolls bearing names of community organization members and a local Newspaper were among the items discovered in a time capsule found inside the former Palmerston municipal building.
Contractor Terry Hewitson found the capsule when taking down the building on Daly Street, which most recently served as a Wellington OPP station. Hewitson advised Minto councillor David Turton of the find and brought the capsule to the Sept. 15 council meeting to be opened.
“We appreciate you bringing this and turning it back to the town,” Turton told Hewitson at the meeting.
The sealed metal capsule was contained inside a concrete cornerstone. Although the year 1974 was engraved on the stone, it was actually placed during a cornerstone laying ceremony, facilitated by members of the local Grand Masonic Lodge on April 25, 1975.
On that day the building, which housed the new Town of Palmerston municipal office and provincial courthouse, was opened as a municipal centennial project.
The building contained administration, police and fire services for the town. Wellington County acquired the building in 1999 and it was used as an OPP station until the detachment was moved to Teviotdale in 2014.
Hewitson, with Turton’s assistance, cut open the capsule in the council chambers during the meeting.
Among the items inside was the April 24, 1975 issue of the Palmerston Observer. The lead story on the front page was headlined “Mayor crowns 1st Queen of the Fair,” accompanied by a photograph of new fair queen Wendy Logan and other competitors.
A plaque removed from the building indicated the mayor at the time was George A. Wright, the reeve was Kenneth O. Elliott and the deputy reeve was Luella R. Logan. Council members included David J. Burns, Jack C. Cronsberry, Nelson H. Langdon, William S. Irwin and R. George Bridge. The latter was the grandfather of current Town of Minto Mayor George Bridge.
Bridge said the items would be put on display at the Palmerston library, which is temporarily located on Main Street while construction is completed on the main library.
