In 1955, Elvis Presley made his television debut, while civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks was arrested for sitting in the “whites only” section of a Montgomery, Alabama bus. Disneyland opened to the public, and famed physicist Albert Einstein died at the age of 76.
And in Eugene, Oregon that same year, officials with the local YMCA and YWCA gathered materials and sealed it up inside what was then a newly-built athletic facility and gathering space for the community.
Flash ahead nearly seven decades later.
On Thursday, March 14, 2024, Y administrators and employees gathered in the aging gymnasium. They took turns breaking apart a wall section with sledgehammers and mallets.
For roughly 20 minutes, the group chipped away at a part of the wall with “YMCA - YWCA 1955” painted on it. After the sheet copper box was revealed and removed, pincers and pliers were used to open it, to little avail. Then a worker from BRING Recycling used a power saw to take off the end, to cheers and whoops.
Staff marveled at the contents: regional newspapers, a panoramic photo of Eugene, a University of Oregon catalog, coins and stamps, and “Y” documents from November 1955.
Materials from a previous time capsule compiled in 1909 were also found, all in good shape.
“I love the photo that they have of the doorway to our original Willamette Street location where we were in in the early 1900s,” said Brian Steffen, CEO of the Eugene Family YMCA. “That’s one of the only photos that we have of that building.”
“We have plans to bury a time capsule at the new Y,” said Beth Casper, the Y’s spokesperson. “And we would really like the materials to stay preserved until they are uncovered by another generation of folks.”
The old YMCA on Patterson Street will be demolished, though Y officials still own the property. The Y board will determine its use at a future meeting.
Copyright 2024, KLCC.
