300th Anniversary Time Capsule Closing Ceremony (Finally) Takes Place

By J.D. O’Gara

It might have taken place a few years too late, due to a pandemic-related shutdown, but the town of Bellingham finally sealed its 300th Anniversary Time Capsule, on August 11th, 2022, at the onset of the 2022 Bellingham Days festival.

These Bellingham 300th Anniversary coasters were among the items placed in the time capsule.

 Emceed by Bernadette Rivard, who was acting as the Bellingham Library Director, a member of the Bellingham Historical Commission and a member of the Bellingham 300th Anniversary Committee, the event was geared toward communicating with Bellingham residents 25 years into the future. 

“Tonight, we are going to time-travel to 2044, but instead of opening the Time Capsule, we are going to be putting the items into it for those members of the 325th Anniversary Committee to see 22 years from now,” said Rivard. She penned a letter for those residents to read, with some explanations of the pieces of Bellingham’s past they will find. 

Bernadette Rivard, left, had help from Rick Marcoux and Pam Johnson in sealing the 300th anniversary time capsule.

Among items included was memorabilia from Bellingham’s Zip Trip, which took place during the town’s 300th year. Joe Lyons, 300th Anniversary Committee member, recounted that day’s events for those in attendance at the library, noting that Gene Lavanchy hosted the program. Among other items included was a photo book made by Jim Hastings of The Wall That Heals’ visit to the community, coasters and a brick from 300th anniversary fundraising, a number of t-shirts and many publications. 

Rick Marcoux, chair of the Bellingham Historical Commission and Pam Johnson, Historical Commission Member, and founder of the Bellingham Bulletin, assisted Rivard in placing items into the box. 

Dear Bellingham 325th Anniversary Committee:

This time capsule was closed at the Bellingham Library on Thursday, August 11, 2022 during the town’s annual Bellingham Days Celebration. The event was originally scheduled for April 2020, and was long-delayed due to the global pandemic caused by COVID-19.  More on that later.

Every 25 years Bellingham opens and closes a time capsule to remember the past and preserve the present.  The 1994 capsule was opened on June 2, 2019 and it contained a menu from Ma Glockner’s Restaurant, mugs and t-shirts from local businesses, and newspaper articles from the time period. It also included a guest book from the 1939-1969 BHS Class Reunion held in April of 1969 as well as a grocery list with prices for milk - $2.09 per gallon (it was $3.04 in 2019) , bread $1.19 per loaf (it was $1.50 in 2019)  and a note that minimum wage was a whopping $4.25 ( in Massachusetts it was $12.00 in 2019).

For the 300th year we included the following items in the 2019 Time Capsule, with notation that it should be opened during the 325th Anniversary Year in 2044.   

We included the following items:

300th Anniversary Memorabilia

300th Anniversary Model Cake and 2019  – this cake and sign was on display at the library and brought to many events throughout the Anniversary year.  It was also used as a “bank” for fundraising!

300th Anniversary Flag – this flag was on display at 300th Anniversary events throughout town

2019 Boston Post Cane – this replica of the cane was presented to Bellingham’s eldest resident, Mary Markey, in 2019.  Mary passed away in 2022.

300th Anniversary Coaster Set (the Friends of the Library sold these as a joint fundraiser with the 300th Committee  - donated by Bernadette Rivard, Library Director)

300th Anniversary Pins – these were sold at events and were provided to people who attended the closing ceremony in 2022.

300th Anniversary Volunteer TShirt – All volunteers at the Bellingham Days events in August of 2019 were provided with volunteer tshirts.

Bellingham TShirts – with various locations around town, donated by Pam Johnson

300th Anniversary Fundraiser Brick (bricks were installed at 300th Anniversary Park, located in front of the Municipal Center) – Donated by Denis Fraine

300th Anniversary Hooded Sweatshirt – The “hoodies”  were sold as a fundraiser.  This one was donated by Bernadette Rivard, Library Director

Wall That Heals T-Shirt – These shirts were worn by volunteers at the Wall That Heals event and was donated by Jim Hastings, Memorial & Veterans Day Committee Chair

300th Anniversary Publications

300th Anniversary Issue of the Crimpville Comments

300th Anniversary Event Calendar

300th Anniversary Book, Bellingham Now & Then – Donated by the Friends of the Library

Wall That Heals Book – Donated by Jim Hastings, Memorial & Veterans Day Committee

DVD of ABMI Cable 8 “Something Specia”l Show – Linda Trudeau interviews Jen Altomonte (Chair of the 300th Anniversary Committee) and Cindy McNulty (Select Board Member)

DVD of ABMI Cable 8 Something Special Show – Linda Trudeau interviews Sarah Houle (Secretary of the 300th Anniversary Committee), Christine Cooper (Publicity Coordinator), and Joe Lyons (Volunteer Coordinator).

Issues of the Bellingham Bulletin, donated by Pam Johnson

In the News and at The Time

We received a request to include these “Game of Thrones” Coins, donated by Stacy Corrigan stating it belongs in the time capsule because “Game of Thrones was a sensation that culminated in the finale in 2019.  This gave us the idea to record all the popular and acclaimed TV, movies, music and books for 2019.  They include:

TV  Shows – “Game of Thrones,” “Stranger Things,” “When They See Us,” “Chernobyl,” “The Mandalorian”

Movies – Bohemian Rhapsody, Green Book, Avengers: End Game, Frozen II, Toy Story 4

Music – Bad Guy by Billie Eilish, “Truth Hurts” by Lizzo, Sucker by Jonas Brothers, “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, and Con Altura by Rosalia featuring J. Balvin and El Guincho

Books – Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, The Testaments by Margaret Atwood, The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, The Dutch House by Anne Patchett, The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

The top 10 news stories from CNN were: 

#10 Image of a drowned man and his daughter underscores the crisis at the US-Mexico Border

#9  Cameron Boyce, Disney star, dies at 20 after a seizure, family says

#8 Government Shutdown

#7 Police sources: New evidence suggests Jussie Smollett orchestrated attack

#6 The Dayton shooter wore a mask, bulletproof vest and hearing protection as he opened fire

#5 Deadly shooting in El Paso, TX

#4 President Trump has been impeached

#3 Dozens killed in Christchurch mosque shooting

#2 Hurricane Dorian slams into the Bahamas

#1 Fire at Notre Dame Cathedral

And last, but certainly not least, in December of 2019 the disease that came to be known as COVID-19 was identified as an unknown disease, causing shortness of breath, fever and death in China.  By late January the CDC was screening passengers arriving from China at major US Airports and the first cases were identified in the US.  Anyone above the age of 4 at the time knows what happened next.  

We thought it was important to include some of the items that became part of our everyday lives from 2019 through 2022, like masks, gloves and face shields.  Also included is the May 24, 2020 issue of the New York Times that marked what it called the “Incalculable Loss” - the 100,000 deaths to that date.  Also included is Library Director, Bernadette Rivard’s journal of her perspective as a Library Director and daughter who was unable to visit her mother in a nursing home for over 2 months.

We hope that those opening this time capsule in 2044 enjoy seeing this glimpse back of what was happening in Bellingham in 2019 and use this time capsule treasure chest to store the memories of 2044 for 2069.  As I write this, I think those years sound like a science fiction movie, but I guess that was technically 2001.

Bernadette Rivard

Secretary

Bellingham Historical Commission