6 I The Lovell ChronicleI November 29, 2012
continued from page one
the stone," he said. "We also
drilled holes in the corner-
stone every six inches at the
top, middle and bottom."
No dice.
Remembering that Ma-
sonic cornerstones are often
laid in the northeast corner
of the building, Simmons
also excavated that area.
Nothing.
He also checked the .................... ...............
southeast corner of the
south-facing atrium, as well
as the northwest and south .... .............................
west corners of the gym.
No luck.
During his recent
search, Simmons contact-
ed Emily Utt, Historic Sites
Curator of the LDS Church
History Dept. in Salt Lake
City, and she provided some
information on typical time
capsule and cornerstone
practices, noting that cor-
nerstones were generally
placed near the southeast
corner of a building with the
practice being to build the
foundation but leave one
stone out. A metal box filled
with historical items was
then placed in the hole and
the remaining stone placed
on top of it. More rare, she
said, was to hollow out a
stone and place the metal
box inside. She said the cor-
nerstone location was usu-
ally marked and the box ac-
cessible from the outside.
Utt warned that corner-
stone searching can be de-
structive if the location isn't
clearly marked.
In answer to a follow-
up question from Simmons,
Utt noted that a glass bot-
tle as a time capsule would
be unusual but would work.
Without detailed knowledge
of the construction process,
she said that the builders
turned stones "like a Flem-
ish bond in brick" for addi-
tional strength and the bot-
tle could have been placed
between two header stones.
Simmons replied that
the footings were dug and
the first row of stone was
The location of the new time capsule in the log gym
will be clearly marked with a metal plate made by
Nick Sponsel. Notice the new log chinking as part of
the renovation project under way.
stone was then placed on
top of that - probably hol-
lowed out to accommodate
the shape of the bottle. The
only way you're going to
find that bottle is to take
apart the foundation. The
damage you would cause to
the building is probably not
worth the value of the bot-
tle or its contents."
WHAT WAS FOUND
While Simmons was
unable to locate a time cap-
sule, a number of interest-
ing items were found under
the floor at various places
as it was taken up including
log sections, a glove, a piece
placed in the footing, which
had only dirt in the bottom,
and a second row of stones
was placed on top of the first
row, overlapping the joints.
No mortar was used while
laying the stones, though
it appears that mortar and
rock chips were pressed into
the cracks after the founda-
tion was in place. The first
logs were then placed on top
of the stone.
"It seems pretty simple,
but after 80 or so years it
all appears pretty stable,"
he wrote.
Replied Utt, "My guess
is that the bottle was laid
on top of the footings. A
DAVID PECK PHOTOS
Roland Simmons excavated the southeast interior corner of the Cowley Log
Gym this fall hoping to solve the mystery of the lost time capsule.
of a sectioned tape stick, a
hammer, a five-foot buck
saw, bolts, screws, nails, a
Prince Albert tobacco can,
an electrical insulator, part
of a barrel, a pole hook, an
oil can, a brass valve han-
dle, an old chain, a spacer
to hold logs apart, wood-
en punches, coins, marbles
and an Old Quaker whiskey
bottle.
NEW TIME CAPSULE
Meanwhile, Simmons
has been assembling items
for a new time capsule to
be buried in the southeast
corner of the building and
covered by a metal plate
made by Nick Sponsel and
accessible from the outside.
Once in place, slurry will be
poured from the back side,
oozing through and holding
the capsule in place. The
capsule is to be placed to-
day - Thursday, Nov. 29.
Placed in the capsule
will be various items in-
cluding this newspaper ar-
ticle, other newspaper ar-
ticles, a set of 2012 coins
donated by the Bank of
Lovell, and a number of
photographs of historical
value, including a series
of photos documenting the
current renovation project.
The photos will also in-
clude current church offi-
cials, a construction pho-
to from 1935, a photo of
a stake conference (held
in the log gym from 1936
through 1950), a banquet
photo from 1940, a 1959
aerial shot and photos of
current Cowley commit-
tees including the Pioneer
Day Committee, the town
council, recreation board
and the beautification/tree
board.
This time the corner-
stone will be document-
ed and well marked. That
way, a future Cowley In-
diana Jones won't have to
search so hard to find it.
COWGIRL
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1ST
2 P.M. IN THE ARENA AUDITORIUM
COWBOY BIISKETBIILL VS #1eCOLORRDO
GOLD OUT!
SflTURORY, DECEMBER 1ST
8 P.M. IN THE I]RENR
Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union, AFL-CIO
