MIDDLEBURY — Though it is being razed to oblivion, the old municipal gym at 94 Main St. continues to give up some secrets and surprises. The latest: A small time capsule that had been tucked into a cornerstone of the 1939 structure, which provided a recreational hub for generations of Middlebury-area students and adults.
Middlebury Town Manager Kathleen Ramsay confirmed workers discovered the time capsule on July 5, as they freed the southeast cornerstone of the old building. The capsule was taken directly from the demolition site to the nearby Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History, where it will be opened on an as-yet unspecified date.
Museum Director Bill Brooks and Archivist Eva Garcelon-Hart will organize an opening ceremony for the container, a nondescript, thin, rectangular, metal box that bears considerable rust and scuff marks. Until then, it is anyone’s guess as to what the mystery box might contain. There are likely to be some school-related mementos, as the gym was physically connected to the former Middlebury High School building that later (after a fire) became the town’s municipal building.
Looking back at world events, 1939 marked the beginning of World War II, an international conflagration that would eventually see the participation of the United States.
Once cleared of the old municipal building and gym, 94 Main St. will be turned into a public park under the ownership of Middlebury College. The town earlier this year inaugurated new town offices at 55 Main St. and a new recreation facility on Creek Road.
Reporter John Flowers is at [email protected].