Hempfield seeks items for 250th anniversary time capsule

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A signed Bill Mazeroski jersey, fire department patches and a host of other items unique to Hempfield will be preserved for future generations in a time capsule as part of the township’s 250th anniversary celebration this year.

The plan is to open the box 50 years from 2023, for the township’s 300th anniversary in 2073. After that, Supervisor Doug Weimer says, future residents will be able to put new items inside and bury it again for the another half-century anniversary.

While a few items, such as the jersey from township native and Hall of Fame Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Mazeroski and other commemorative materials from the township have been gathered, the “HT 250 Committee” is looking for more submissions for the treasure trove. The committee is hoping for items from community organizations that have a connection to Hempfield, such as fire companies, church groups and athletic teams.

“We’re going to be trying to gather up photos, videos and commemorative items from the community,” Weimer said. “We’re asking for our volunteer groups that are active in the township, those who are active in the youth activities, sports, fire departments, to try to gather up the memorabilia that they have over the last few decades that they want to place in here.”

Marissa Haynes, Hempfield’s interim director of parks and recreation, said the idea of commemorating the 250th with a time capsule kept coming up as a “monumental opportunity” when the anniversary committee thought of ways to honor the occasion.

“We want to kind of memorialize this time in Hempfield’s history, meeting that 250 marker, so what better way to memorialize it than with a time capsule that can be brought back up for others to see?” she said. “I think it’s a really great opportunity for us to show who we are as a community right now to our future community members, and kind of preserve that in time.”

The township will put a form online where residents can submit ideas for consideration. Interested residents can also email the township at [email protected].

X marks the spot

The time capsule box, emblazoned with the township’s 250th anniversary logo, will eventually be interred at the planned Weatherwood Community Park along Route 30 near Mt. Pleasant Road.

At an upcoming Founders Gala on Oct. 19 at Live Casino from 5 to 10 p.m., the items will be displayed for the public before the box is sealed and prepared to be buried.

The time capsule is a stainless steel box about 3 feet tall, 2 feet long and 1 foot deep. According to deputy director of public works Austin Erhard, the structure of the box — which has an internal gasket — will help to prevent damage to the items inside.

“It’s supposed to be safe to bury as it is, but we plan on enclosing it in a vault just to make sure,” Erhard said. “Doug and I have been talking about actually securing items internally within extra cases to individually water seal as much as we can. Most of the time, when you see time capsule openings, you see where dampness has gotten in. This was specifically built as a time capsule for that reason.”

Weimer added, “This modern time capsule is in a much better position to last at least 100 years or more. Compared to older ones that everyone is familiar with being opened up, whether it’s in the cornerstone of a building, or something that’s dug up that has allowed air and moisture to penetrate and decay the items, we don’t want that to happen.”

An existing time capsule buried at the township is scheduled to be opened on a 100-year cycle, meaning it also will be revealed 50 years from now, when the new capsule is due to open. The older capsule dates from 1973 and is buried in front of the municipal center on Woodward Drive.

“I was only a few years old then, so I wasn’t involved,” Weimer joked. “I was around, I just wasn’t involved in it. But I’m very happy to be a part of this new one.”

Julia Maruca is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Julia at [email protected].

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