What Was Inside The 1958 Time-Capsule From Clark Police Headquarters?

Press release from the Township of Clark:

May 18, 2021

Mayor Bonaccorso and Councilman Brian Toal took center stage at the start of the May 17 Town Council meeting with a time-capsule that was recovered from the cornerstone at the site of the former police headquarters.

Toal said the lead box had been inside the cement cornerstone which was dated 1958. In the vicinity he also found an old root beer can inside a cinder block.

From within the time-capsule, Toal pulled out a crumbling, mold-stained newspaper as the only item in the box.

“63 years later what our founding fathers of 1958 left us is the Garden State News, the newspaper of the times, predecessor of what we have today, TAPinto Clark..before was the Clark Eagle, the Clark Patriot, located where Dairy Queen is today….” said Toal.

Upon initial look, Toal thought the paper was the Garden State News and the only item inside. After the meeting Toal more closely examined the paper, and discovered it was the Elizabeth Daily Journal from July 18, 1959. He also found a shiny dime dated 1959 between the newspaper folds.

Mayor Bonaccorso said a time-capsule will be included within the new police station too. “We’re going to create a time capsule out here and when the people open it, I can guarantee there will be a lot more history in there about the town, this building and the building that was there before this,” he said.

This press release was produced by the Township of Clark. The views expressed here are the author’s own.