Go Back To The Future In Maplewood: 1955 Time Capsule Contents On Display At Maplewood

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — What was life like almost 70 years ago, in 1955, in Maplewood?

You can find out by looking at a time capsule that was sealed that year.

Nationally, President Dwight Eisenhower suffered a heart attack. Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give her seat on the bus to a White man. Jonas Salk's polio vaccine was determined to be effective and safe. And the Cold War raged on.

What about locally?

The 1955 time capsule was opened last month as part of a ceremony for the newly renovated Hilton Branch of the library. The capsule had been buried during the library's last renovation.

It's now on display at the branch.

When the capsule was opened last month, it was found to contain the following items, according to a report in the Essex News Daily:

• Newspapers from the 1940s and 1950s
• A library card and a report saying the library's collection was 49,000 books (about half of the current collection)
• Zoning maps
• Photos

Another Find

This isn't the first time Maplewood opened a time capsule. In 2017, developers who were demolishing a church discovered an old capsule marked "1836 to 1898."

Townspeople came to view the opening of the capsule, whose contents were interesting, but not very valuable. As CBS notes, "Inside was a snapshot of the 19th century preserved to near perfection, including a copy of the Newark Evening News — on paper worn but not tattered. There was also a copy of the New Testament, four pennies and nickel, which used to go far, as well as fliers from a time before cellphones or Facebook. What's inside the capsule was a reminder of just how much has changed in the last century."

The Hilton Branch of the library is located at 1688 Springfield Ave. Find out more here.