As the leaves change color and the temperature drops, more students may find themselves spending more time outside in the Quad.
In the center of the Quad is the “Centennial Court,” but what you might not know is that at the middle under a marker is a 20-year-old time capsule. The time capsule was buried on Aug. 30, 2001. It celebrates the 100th anniversary of the University of Tennessee at Martin.
This is the second time capsule UTM has had on the campus. The first time capsule was placed in the north cornerstone of the original Hall-Moody Building. The stone from the time capsule is in the Paul Meek Library archives along with many of the items that were contained within.
“One of the strangest things to come out of the Hall-Moody time capsule was all the small pieces of paper. It was as if someone said, ‘Let’s sign our names and put them in there,’” said Karen Elmore of the Paul Meek Library.
Many people around the world make time capsules hoping someone will find them many years later. The hope is to capture a time of life for future generations to learn about the past. Among many items used at the time, the most interesting item captured in the Centennial Court time capsule was a student’s whole bookbag. The student was chosen at random, and his backpack and all of its contents were purchased by UTM.
While time capsules can only capture snapshots of time, they are intriguing. The Centennial Court time capsule is set to be opened in the year 2051. It will be fascinating to see the items contained from that time period of UTM’s history. So, next time you are in the Quad walking to class or to get a coffee, stop by Centennial Court and check out the time capsule badge.
