It almost wasn’t found.

Although the administration at Passavant Retirement Village in Zelienople thought that there was a time capsule from 1917 on the campus, it couldn’t be found.

“We had almost given up. We thought it was in a different place and when it wasn’t there, we didn’t think it was still here,” said Bryan Hockenberry, superintendent with dck worldwide, contractors. “The building had been added onto 10 or 11 times and we just thought someone found it.”

 Passavant Retirement Village had a recent major renovation and building project. Based on an original list of contents that had been discovered, they thought they would find the capsule under a cornerstone or landmark. But when the building started, nothing was found.

While moving rubble with an excavator in early May, in the midst of a pile of grey rubble, a corner of a small copper box stuck out. It was the time capsule, approximately 12-inches long, 8-inches wide and 8-inches deep, according to Mr. Hockenberry.

“From my viewpoint, it looked like they took a piece of copper and folded it into a box. They crimped the sides and soldered it,” he said. That might be why the box and its contents lasted 98 years and five days before it was discovered.

Mr. Hockenberry took it to Laura Roy, executive director, and they opened it to determine if it was indeed the missing time capsule.

One of the items in the box was the list of rules for living at Old People’s Home of Zelienople, the ancestor to the Village.

“You had to be Lutheran, you had to basically sign over all of your money and you could not be insane or idiotic,” said Laura Roy, executive director. “We got a big kick out of that.”

They decided it was too special to keep to themselves and set up a small ceremony to share the contents. More than 120 residents and staff gathered for the capsule opening, an event that Delores Fruph wouldn’t have missed.

“When I heard that they were going to open the capsule, I had to be there. I’m 93, have lived here over 10 years and been a Lutheran all of my life. This is part of my heritage,” Mrs. Fruph said.

The contents included several different newspapers from 1917, a Bible, several coins and photos.

“The newspapers were so large and had so many stories — they were a lot bigger than the papers today and had a lot more stories on the front page,” she said.

Many of the stories in the 1917 papers were about World War I and local people who had joined the war effort, according to Ms. Roy.

Mrs. Fruph found it intriguing to see the contents and learn about the history of her home.

“I especially enjoyed the pictures because they brought back what 1917 was like to me,” she said. The discovery also generated interest in another time capsule.

“We are celebrating the 110th anniversary of our incorporation in October, so part of our plan is to bury a new capsule in our garden,” Ms. Roy said. Residents will be surveyed about what items they feel should be included.

Mrs. Fruph said she hopes they add photos, artwork that some of the residents have made and newspapers. In the meantime, the staff and residents had fun sharing the discovery of the contents.

“We listened to music from 1917 and sang the song, ‘Over There.’ It was just really a lot of fun,” Ms. Roy said.

Kathleen Ganster, freelance writer: suburbanliving@post-gazette.com.

First Published: June 12, 2015, 4:00 a.m.