A time capsule buried in 1950 has been opened at the International School of San Francisco after being discovered during recent renovations. The capsule, sealed on July 20, 1950, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new office building, contained historical newspapers and black-and-white photographs of the school.
Students and teachers expressed fascination with the unearthed items. "Seeing all of these old buildings and seeing some of the similarities to how it is now was really interesting," student Max Ginsburg told KRON4. Head of School Eric Thuau described the find as "like a treasure."
The newspapers provide a snapshot of the era, reporting on the Korean War and noting whiskey shortages and the price of nylon stockings. Advertisement spaces were as low as one cent.
The school property was previously the Caltrans Bay Area District 4 Headquarters for over 40 years before Caltrans relocated in the 1990s. Daniel Klingebiel, the school's Director of Operations, discovered the capsule's existence by reviewing blueprints provided by Caltrans when the school was purchased in 1995.
Doanh Nguyen, Caltrans District Four Director, commented on the capsule's significance, stating, "The people who placed those items in the capsule could not have known when it would be opened, who would open it or what the Bay area would look like on that day. Yet they were thinking about the future and sharing what they valued, what they experienced, and what they hoped the future might become."
The International School of San Francisco recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its newly transformed Oak Campus, which features a new high school and renovated lower and middle school spaces.
Nguyen encouraged students to consider what they would place in a time capsule today to represent their own era for future generations. He added that the capsule's contents were in "very good shape" and would be shared within the school and broader community.