The contents of the 1976 Taylor Park time capsule laid out to dry on the floor of the Traer Memorial Building earlier this month. The items will be shown to the public on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026, as part of a “big reveal party” organized by the Taylor Park Landscaping & Beautification Committee in conjunction with the annual Winding Stairs Festival. CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS

TRAER – Nearly 50 years ago, in celebration of America’s Bicentennial, the Traer community buried a time capsule just north of the gazebo in Taylor Park. On Saturday, June 6, 2026, the vault was unearthed as part of an effort spearheaded by members of the local park committee.

“After nearly 50 years underground, the Taylor Park Time Capsule has finally been opened!” the Taylor Park Landscaping & Beautification Committee posted to Facebook on Wednesday, June 10. “The good news? The contents are largely intact. The challenge? After decades beneath the surface, many of the items are quite damp and require careful handling. Over the coming days, volunteers will be working to gently dry, preserve and organize the hundreds of memories, letters, photographs, documents and keepsakes discovered inside. Every box we open reveals another fascinating glimpse into Traer as it was in 1976.”

On Thursday, Oct. 14, 1976, the Traer Bicentennial Committee buried the time capsule some five feet underground following a brief ceremony. According to reporting at the time by the Traer Star-Clipper newspaper, “young and old alike gathered around the time capsule for the ceremony with most North Tama students attending the 2:45 p.m. program.”

“Marcella Esters was emcee for the program,” the story continued. “She noted that many young people had participated in the project by collecting materials for the time capsule and taping meetings and other events. The time capsule will be opened in 2026. ‘It is important to tie the past to the present and the future,’ Mrs. Esters said, ‘and until we get these three tied together, life is less interesting, less purposeful.’ She told the young students, she hoped when they came back in 50 years, all of the pollution and other problems will have disappeared.”

Joe and Dawn Breakenridge with Breakenridge Memorials, Peyton Willenbring with Groundworks Landscaping Company, and city staff worked together to bring the vault back to the surface Saturday morning, nearly 50 years after it had been buried. According to parks committee member Tracey Hulme, the vault measured 20 inches by 58 inches and was made of asphalt and concrete with a plastic liner.

“It did leak some and most of the items were very damp and smelly,” Hulme told the newspaper in an email. “Anything that had a paper clip or metal binder had a brown spot where the metal dissolved. Pictures that were in a stack did not fare well as they were stuck together.”

After the capsule was opened by Breakenridge Memorials, the contents were transferred to committee members who laid everything out to dry inside the downtown Memorial Building. Once dry, the items will be held by the committee until the “big reveal party” set for Thursday, Aug. 6, in the Taylor Park Shelter House as part of the annual Winding Stairs Festival.

“After the reveal, we will take the items to the Traer Historical Museum until Holiday Happenings is over. After that time, families and businesses can pick up their items if they would like,” Hulme said.

One of the items included in the time capsule was Traer’s official Bicentennial Flag, which the community received in early November 1975 after becoming the first Bicentennial Community in Tama County. Traer Mayor Don Gates accepted the flag on behalf of the community during a ceremony that took place following the annual Chamber of Commerce meeting, according to Traer Star-Clipper reporting. Bicentennial Flags were only to be flown “within the corporate limits” of recognized Bicentennial communities.

Other items of note found in the time capsule include “a pair of jeans from a local teenager that still lives in Traer with a note from his mom,” Hulme said. “Each student from the seventh- and eighth-grade classes of 1976 wrote a letter to their present and future selves. There is a lot of fun history to check out.”

Traer resident Kennan Seda, a member of Traer High School Class of 1976, told the newspaper he remembers interviewing “lifelong educator” Marcella Esters — one of three Traer Bicentennial Committee co-chairs (along with Barbara Bauch and Mary Ellen Barnes) — while a senior in high school in the lead-up to America’s 200th birthday.

“If we wanted to pass down history, Marcella Esters emphasized that we need to get the young people involved,” Seda told the newspaper following word that the time capsule had been unearthed.

To that end, the Taylor Park Landscaping & Beautification Committee plans to bury another time capsule in the park to mark America’s 250th birthday.

“Plans are underway to create a new Taylor Park Time Capsule for 2026-76,” the committee wrote on social media. “This once-in-a-generation project will give today’s residents the opportunity to leave a message, memory or piece of history for future generations to discover 50 years from now. Stay tuned for details on how local families, businesses, organizations and community groups can contribute items for inclusion in the new time capsule.”

For more information, follow the Polish Up Taylor Park Facebook page.

Editor’s Note: Special thanks to Traer Historical Museum President George Kadrmas, retired North Tama educator Judy Morrison, and Kennan Seda for help with this story.