Among those present for the burial of the “Time Capsule” to be opened on July 4, 2026, were (from left) Joe Cox, Jim Shearer, Ken Hart, Mayor Watson Hunt, Dee Ann Cox and Bicentennial Observance Chairman Richard Flowers. The capsule was buried at city hall in July, 1977, and contains many mementos from the Bicentennial Observance in 1976.
WATER VALLEY – Community members are invited to attend the exhumation of Water Valley’s Bicentennial time capsule at 11 a.m. on July 4 at City Hall.
The ceremony is being organized by the Water Valley Odd Fellows, the oldest civic organization in the city. The capsule was buried during a July 4, 1977 ceremony and contains documents, photographs and other items intended to preserve a snapshot of life in Water Valley during the nation’s Bicentennial celebration held a year earlier, in 1976.
McCormick is particularly interested in hearing from anyone who attended the original burial ceremony in 1977. Newspaper accounts indicate dozens of people gathered at City Hall for the event, and organizers hope some of those participants, or their family members, will attend the July 4 exhumation.
After the capsule is opened, its contents will be placed on display at the Casey Jones Railroad Museum. Community members will be encouraged to view the items and contribute a small object of their own for inclusion in the capsule’s next chapter.
The Odd Fellows plan to reassemble the capsule, add the newly donated items and rebury it on Labor Day, where it will remain sealed for another 50 years.
Organizers also note that a separate 100-year time capsule, believed to be buried at the cemetery, has been located and may become the focus of a future historical project.
The July 4 ceremony is open to the public.
