Kirn Library time capsule takes Norfolk back to 1962

The Virginian-Pilot
© July 17, 2009
By Catherine Carlock

NORFOLK

A step toward the future revealed a link to the past at the Kirn Memorial Library Thursday.

A time capsule buried in 1962 and discovered during the library’s demolition was opened in front of curious eyes. In it were various city documents, books and newspaper clippings.

“The only thing I know to say is: T his is really cool,” City Councilman W. Randy Wright said.

Wright was a sophomore at Norview High School when the capsule was buried. Also in that year, John H. Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth, stamps cost 4 cents and Johnny Carson took over as host of “The Tonight Show.”

Norfolk’s budget was then about $46 million. Today, it’s $1.17 billion.

“It was a whole different era,” Wright said. “As much as things stay the same, things change. Norfolk has changed a lot since 1962.”

Some of the documents found in the capsule included a gallery of the city’s history, two volumes of city code, and a letter from then-Mayor W. Fred Duckworth.

Duckworth addressed his letter “to some future generation.” He was shot and killed in 1972, 10 years after the time capsule was buried.

Most of the capsule’s contents were wrapped in plastic and well preserved. Wright said the steel capsule box was encased in concrete when demolition crews first found it buried outside the library.

Several children weaved through the legs of adults to see the capsule’s contents.

“I was so excited to come here today,” said 11-year-old Randy Bulger, who was at the library with his father, Carter. “I saw how the story began, about how they founded Norfolk.”

“I learned a little bit of history, too,” he said.

Other documents, such as a library brochure and newspaper clippings about the beginning stages of construction, detailed the history of the Kirn Memorial Library.

Kirn served as Norfolk’s main library for 47 years until it closed last year. Demolition began last week, making way for the largest of 11 passenger stations on the city’s light rail line that is set to open late next year.

Most of the books and staff have moved to the nearby historic Seaboard Building on Plume Street, which was renamed Norfolk Main Library. Over the next four years, the building will undergo a $50 million expansion.

Wright said the city can now include the artifacts in the new library.