Springfield, Mo. – On Wednesday, the History Museum on the Square marked the official 100th birthday of Route 66 by burying a time capsule in Jubilee Park. The sealed container holds a collection of community‑submitted notes, poems, videos and documents that capture everyday life in 2026 for future Springfieldians.
Community voices preserved for a century
“A hundred years from now, Springfieldians will be able to research all the big events, all the headlines that happened, all of the big things that transformed Springfield over the past hundred years,” said Sean FitzGibbons, the museum’s executive director. “What we’re really trying to say is, here’s the lived histories, here’s the personal stories, here are the things that you really can’t research.”
Students from local schools helped fill the burial pit, placing their letters, drawings and reflections alongside contributions from local businesses and a video segment produced by KY3. The museum hopes the capsule will become a lasting reminder of the city’s shared heritage.
High‑tech sealing ensures durability
To protect the contents for a full century, the museum partnered with Halloway, a Springfield‑based manufacturing firm that typically supplies the pharmaceutical sector. Halloway’s CEO, Randy Colwell, explained the sealing process: “We bagged the vessel in an airtight bag and then provided this high‑density polyethylene containment box around it. It is airtight and waterproof. The material is similar to the pipes that run beneath our city carrying water and sewage, so it’s designed for a hundred years.”
Colwell added that the museum’s “maximum‑life sealing” approach gives the capsule a strong chance of surviving the test of time, though he noted, “We’ll just hope and see what happens.”
Poet laureate adds a final tribute
David Harrison, the Route 66 Poet Laureate, contributed a concluding poem addressed to future Springfield residents. “This road brought millions of us together. Route 66 may be history, but it left us decades of memories and introduced us to our neighbors,” he wrote. “It reminded us that though we all have our differences in ways that matter, we are all Americans in our century and in yours.”
Future opening date
The time capsule is scheduled to be opened at 4 p.m. on April 30, 2126, giving a full hundred years for the city’s children, grandchildren and great‑grandchildren to uncover the hopes and everyday moments of 2026.
Local officials and community leaders praised the project as a celebration of Springfield’s heritage and a tangible link between past, present and future generations.
Original reporting: KY3 Springfield (local) — read the source article.
