by Jose Hernandez | July 8, 2025 10:00 am
A new fixture has been added to Oswego’s City Hall. The city commissioned a concrete monument from Oswego’s Department of Public Works. The capsule was sealed within the monument, which will remain sealed until 2048. The public was invited to the sealing of the new time capsule, a revival of a forgotten Oswego project.
During Sunday’s block party, Oswego residents were invited to witness the sealing of the capsule. Mayor Robert Corradino briefly spoke, thanking the volunteers and city workers for assembling the capsule and its contents.
Using a crane, the time capsule was inserted into the monument through an opening at the top. A small crowd gathered to witness the event, as the band playing announced the burial and stopped playing music.
City workers applied glue around the opening where the capsule was inserted. A concrete cap was then placed on top, ensuring that the capsule would remain sealed for some time.
In the 1980s, the common council at the time started the project. In 1985, the original time capsule was buried on W 1st Street, in front of City Hall, to be unearthed in 1995, then every 10 years after.
“Most time capsules I’ve know of, it’s 25, 50 or even 100 years until they were reopened,” said Corradino, “10 years seemed a little short, I don’t know why they selected that years ago.”
By 2015, the stainless steel capsule was left in the basement of City Hall. It appears the capsule was dug up during remodeling on 1st St in 2013, and never reburied.
“No one knew it was there, people forgot about it, “said Corradino.
After rediscovering the capsule, the council began considering ways to restart the project. Deciding to resume the tradition, they needed to determine when the capsule would be reopened and how it would be buried.
“The reason we picked 2048 is the 200th anniversary of the City of Oswego,” said Corradino, “we’re hoping that people who follow us will see the plaque and it will remind them. People will go by it and see the date and know when it will be opened.”
The expectation is that the city will plan some form of celebration for Oswego’s Bicentennial. During the celebration, they will be able to unseal the monument during the festivities.
“In city government, we do a lot of serious stuff, we fix sewers, we fix roads,” said Corradino,” this to me was a fun project that people before us started. Seemed to me, why not continue it?”
A team of volunteers, including Mary Kay Stone, Joseph Corradino, and Jeff Weigand, organized all the items that would be placed in the capsule. Some items include a banner signed by Oswego High School 2025 graduates and predictions from city officials.
The monument was constructed in about a month. It was the same crew from the DPW that built the 9/11 memorial. It was designed for people to sit down around the monument. The public is encouraged to visit the monument.
The monument is entirely made out of concrete. The cap was finished in the same way as the darker concrete. On top of the cap is a hook for a crane to remove the cap in 2048.
When talking to the lead builder for the project, he said, “It is nice to do stuff like this, we put a lot of pride into this. Not to say we don’t put pride into our work, but everyone will see this.”
While the highlight of Sunday’s block party was the fireworks display, a continuation of Oswego’s history also took place. Oswego residents in 2048 can look forward to the unveiling as a part of Oswego’s bicentennial celebration.
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The following is a list of items put into the time capsule. Some more items may have been added since this list was compiled.
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