Long-Lost Time Capsule Found in Hawaii
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Using radar equipment along a wall of a landmark Hawaiian building, military specialists Saturday quickly located a time capsule buried more than a century ago by King Kamehameha V.
Historians knew the capsule contained priceless pieces of the islands' history, including photos of royal families dating back to Kamehameha the Great and a constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom. But until now the capsule's exact location was unknown.
"We found it within the first 10 minutes we were here," said Larry Conyers, a University of Denver professor who used ground penetrating radar to find the hollow spot in the northeast corner of the Aliiolani Hale building.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It never happens like this," he said.
The capsule was left undisturbed. Digging it up would destroy the building above, which is also a historic treasure, experts said.
The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command located the capsule so it could be protected during future renovations or natural disasters.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We were more concerned about its actual location," said Matt Mattice, executive director of the King Kamehameha V Judiciary History Center.
The small casket was buried Feb. 19, 1872 — more than two decades before the kingdom was annexed by the United States — during a celebration where Kamehameha V laid the cornerstone of the Aliiolani Hale.
It contains photos of royal families, Hawaiian postage stamps, the Hawaiian Kingdom constitution, 21 Hawaiian and foreign coins, 11 different local newspapers, a calendar and books, such as a Hawaiian language dictionary.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The building initially put all the government offices, from the Legislature to the Hawaii Supreme Court, under one roof for the first time. It now houses the Hawaii Supreme Court, a law library and the Judiciary History Center.
With the famed gold-leaf statue of Kamehameha the Great in the courtyard, Aliiolani Hale is one of the most photographed spots in Hawaii.