PHOTO BY JOHN FRYMAN / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
TIME CAPSULE DEDICATION … As part of Montpelier’s America 250 celebration, a dedication of the 2026 time capsule took place on Saturday, Aug. 1, at the Montpelier Town Hall. Taking part in burying the time capsule on the Town Hall grounds were council members Nathan Thompson, Chris Kannel and Kevin Motter; and Montpelier Parks and Recreation Director Sandy Gordon.
By: John Fryman
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
john@thevillagereporter.com
Montpelier residents gathered to dedicate a new 2026 time capsule as part of the village’s America 250 celebration festivities at the Town Hall on Saturday, Aug. 1.
The new time capsule, which was buried on the Town Hall grounds, will again be opened 50 years from now in 2076.
The time capsule featured information about the village’s residents, business, school and industry highlights, as well as photos of Montpelier that were taken this year, along with previous time capsule artifacts from the Bicentennial Year of 1976.
“Fifty years ago, someone stood where we are standing today and wondered what Montpelier would be like in 2026 and today, we know that answer and it’s all of you,” said council member Nathan Thompson, who spoke at the dedication.
Thompson said the families that had built the community and the businesses that keep it strong, the volunteers that make it better, and the children who carry it into the future.
“Now it’s our turn to leave a question for those who’ll stand here in 2076,” Thompson said.
He mentioned the event is very important to his family telling the crowd that 50 years ago; his grandparents stood here as they had previously placed the time capsule for the dedication that they opened up on Bean Days Weekend.
“Today, my parents are here once again, my wife and children, four generations of the Thompson family have been connected with the tradition of preserving Montpelier’s history,” he said. “That’s a treasure I will carry.”
The 1976 time capsule was lifted up on Saturday, July 18, 2026, despite the heavy rains from the night before.
He said it reminded everyone that even with the best intentions, it can be challenged by time and the elements.
“Even with the unexpected event, the spirit of the capsule was certainly evident by the turnout at the Montpelier Public Library,” Thompson said. “It reminded us that preserving history takes planning, care and sometimes a second chance.
“Today we have the privilege of doing that again. We’ve learned from the past, taking great care of preserving, preparing and sealing a new concrete vault, so we can hopefully prepare the future generations with a better glimpse of what life was in Montpelier in 2026.”
The new time capsule was then placed in the ground, thus preserving the shared pride of calling Montpelier home.
“None of us knows what Montpelier would look like when the capsule is opened 50 years from now,” said Thompson.
“The buildings may change, technology will certainly change, and many of us gathered here today will be remembered only to the stories and the photographs that we leave behind.
“I hope that the people who will open this capsule will see something that has never changed that Montpelier is always been a community that cares for one another, values history, and believes in its future.”
He then added, as part of the America’s 250th anniversary, “The time capsule becomes a gift from our generation to the next, a reminder that we were here, that we cared, and we believe in the future in this community.”
Thompson thanked everyone who helped make the project possible, especially the many volunteers and community members who contributed photographs, keepsakes, memories and pieces of everyday life that tell the story of Montpelier in 2026.
He also thanked Montpelier Parks and Recreation Director Sandy Gordon for helping to bring the time capsule up from the ground and preserving what is in the time capsule today, the water and sewer distribution staff for helping dig out the 1976 time capsule and pour new concrete for the 2026 time capsule, and Fackler Monument for providing a capsule stone.
Thompson Funeral Home donated a small vault to place the new time capsule inside it.
Following the dedication, community members took part in shoveling new crushed stone into the new time capsule.
