Hospital time capsule reveals 68-year-old treasures

A time capsule found at Boston Children’s Hospital Waltham was presented to the public on Monday through a special event held onsite. 

Greg Hamann, Boston Children’s executive director for satellite operations, led the group who planned the event. “The whole idea of a time capsule is unique,” said Hamann in an interview with The Waltham Times. “People want to find one. Boston Children’s Waltham actually found one.”

John Finnigan, manager of capital infrastructure for the hospital, came across the capsule with his team during hospital renovations. He had heard rumors about a time capsule, but nothing was confirmed. He and his crew ultimately discovered a copper box time capsule contained inside a “1957” date stone that had been part of a brick façade.

During the event, visitors were able to view the contents of the time capsule, which included a roster of hospital employees, newspaper articles from 1957, the building permit for that area of the hospital and a written prayer from a local priest.

Along with commemorative cookie souvenirs, the celebration included brief words from key players in the project. “When we began our latest renovation, we never expected to find such treasure,” said Boston Children’s Hospital CEO Kevin B. Churchwell of the discovery. 

Executive Vice President Dick Argys expressed his sincere thanks to all involved, including healthcare workers at Boston Children’s Hospital Waltham. “The spirit and camaraderie that exists here in Waltham… I wish we could bottle it,” he said, addressing the staff in the room. “This is one of those rare occasions,” he added, “where you get to celebrate the past, the present and the future.”

Mayor Jeanette McCarthy was one of the first to see the contents of the capsule when it was first opened in September. “They had me come first so that they could see if anything was inappropriate to show to the people,” she joked from behind the podium. McCarthy had a personal connection to the contents of the capsule as well. “A lot of the names I recognized,” McCarthy said, referencing the employee roster.

At the culmination of the event, attendees were invited to sign scrolls that will be laminated and placed inside a new time capsule encased in the renovated façade. Teri Hedgpeth, the hospital’s archivist, presented the contents of the new capsule to the crowd. These included pictures and newspaper articles from 2005 when Boston Children’s took over the site from Waltham Hospital, a hearing aid to represent the hospital’s robust audiology department and a variety of hospital merchandise such as a rubber duckie, a frisbee and a beanie. Once put in place in the newly renovated façade, the time capsule will not be opened until 2075.