International Time Capsule Society
Encyclopedia
Oglethorpe University
Oglethorpe University is a private liberal arts college in Brookhaven, Georgia, an inner suburb of Atlanta. It was chartered in 1835 and named after James Edward Oglethorpe, the state's founder.-History:...
in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, is an organization established to promote the study of time capsule
Time capsule
A time capsule is an historic cache of goods or information, usually intended as a method of communication with future people and to help future archaeologists, anthropologists, or historians...
s. Since 1990 it has been documenting all types of time capsule projects worldwide.
Founders
The founders are time capsule researchers from the United States and Europe.- Knute BergerKnute BergerKnute "Skip" Berger is an American journalist, writer and editor based in Seattle, Washington.Berger is a columnist for Crosscut.com, writing under the name "Mossback"...
("Skip"), executive director of the Washington Centennial Time Capsule project, author of the article Time Capsules in America - Dr. Brian Durrans, anthropologist, former deputy keeper in the ethnographyEthnographyEthnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
department of the British MuseumBritish MuseumThe British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
. - Paul Hudson, author of the article The Oglethorpe Atlanta Crypt of Civilization Time Capsule
- William Jarvis, of Washington State UniversityWashington State UniversityWashington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...
Library, author of the book Time capsules: a cultural history (2002).
Mission
The International Time Capsule Society states in their handout brochure as their mission:- To maintain a registry of timed events of all known time capsules.
- To establish a clearing house for information about time capsules.
- To encourage study of the history, variety and motivation behind time capsule projects.
- To educate the general public and the academic community concerning the value of time capsules.
Projects
Time capsule
A time capsule is an historic cache of goods or information, usually intended as a method of communication with future people and to help future archaeologists, anthropologists, or historians...
s to ensure that those that are created are not lost. The ITCS has set up a registry of time capsules, and has 1,400 groups listed. The ITCS estimates there are between 10,000 to 15,000 time capsules worldwide. Paul Hudson of Oglethorpe University estimates that more than 80 percent of all time capsules are lost and will not be opened on their intended date.
The ITCS holds conferences on a regular basis at Oglethorpe University
Oglethorpe University
Oglethorpe University is a private liberal arts college in Brookhaven, Georgia, an inner suburb of Atlanta. It was chartered in 1835 and named after James Edward Oglethorpe, the state's founder.-History:...
at their campus in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. Members from around the world meet to discuss time capsule projects; guests are welcome to attend.
Crypt of Civilization
The International Time Capsule Society is based at Oglethorpe University, home of the Crypt of CivilizationCrypt of Civilization
The Crypt of Civilization is a sealed airtight chamber located at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia. The crypt consists of preserved artifacts scheduled to be opened in the year AD 8113...
, the first modern time capsule
Time capsule
A time capsule is an historic cache of goods or information, usually intended as a method of communication with future people and to help future archaeologists, anthropologists, or historians...
.