Time capsule

reveals

centennial

treasures

St. John

Lutheran Home

in Springfield

observes

centennial

By KURT NESBITT

Journal Staff Writer

SPRINGFIELD -- Pieces of Springfield's history came to light on Sunday morning when the top of an old Kasota cornerstone was taken away to reveal artifacts that haven't seen the light of day since they were buried in 1901.

The building that stood on that cornerstone was demolished in 1991 after several years of deterioration. It was a four-story brick structure originally named St. Johannes Hospital and Old Folks Home, which was started by a Lutheran pastor named George Appel.

When the cornerstone was laid, Appel and other local residents contributed items for a time capsule. Sealed inside a zinc box were newspapers, coins and Bibles. The box was set in cement and sealed inside the stone.

One hundred years, one month and 23 days later, the stone was cut and the old zinc box was pried open before the eyes of about 200 people at what is now St. John Lutheran Home in Springfield. Inside was practically everything that the home's founders put in the box.

The items included a New Testament in Hebrew; accounts of the history of St. Paul's Church written in German, French, English, Slavonic, Scandinavian and Russian; a paper half-dollar from the Colombian Exposition; and several German, Austrian, English, Canadian and American coins. Other discoveries included a 1901 issue of the Springfield Advance-Press, the Lutheran Standard and two German-language newspapers. The Gegenwart and Lutherische Kirchenzeitung, were also included.

Five centenarians, all of them St. John residents, witnessed the opening of the cornerstone.

"The legacy these founders left us is more than the contents of this box," said St. John administrator Mary Krueger. "They have given us a mission and a purpose that has lasted a century ... to care for older adults as a Christian community. That mission remains with us, and we will pass it on to future generations."

While the 250-pound cornerstone will be on display at St. John for about a month, it won't see retirement yet. St. John's Chaplain Mary Pauluk said a 2001 time capsule will be sealed away after the facility's new chapel is dedicated on Oct. 28.

Pauluk said the idea for the opening came during a session in which the home's leaders were trying to decide on a way to commemorate the centennial. Pauluk saw a tape of the demolition of the old building and was hoping to see a brief shot of the cornerstone, but none materialized. Finally, a mircofilm search of period newspapers yielded clues. A list of what was buried inside the cornerstone appeared in the July 19, 1901, edition of the Springfield Advance-Press.

The actual cornerstone was found on the home's grounds with a flower pot sitting on top of it.

"It was exciting to me because of Pastor Appel," Pauluk said at the opening ceremony. "It was like a present to me from him."

Once the box was opened, the Hebrew and English Bibles required a screwdriver to pry them apart. Underneath the books were the newspapers and the coins. The newspapers survived, but they showed some deep yellowing and the books fared about the same.

The coins had mostly oxidized, many to the point where their denominations were unrecognizable.

And to top it off, there is another mystery for Pauluk. There is something on the 1901 list called "The Economic Symbols of the Christian Church" written in both Greek and Latin. Pauluk said she has no idea what the economic symbols are or what they were used for, but she intends to find out.

Pauluk also said personnel from St. John Lutheran Home plan to contact the Brown County Historical Society to obtain advice on how to preserve the artifacts.

The artifacts as well as photographs and other articles about home's 100-year history will be put of display at the home.

"They tell the history of a community at a point in time where people saw a community need and worked together," Krueger said.