Seward County To Open Time Capsule

Seward County is pleased to announce the time capsule buried on August 22, 1972 at the Seward County
Fairgrounds was located on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. The time capsule will be opened and items unveiled on Friday, November 1, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. at the Beef Barn located at the Seward County Fairgrounds.

In August of 1972, during the Five State Fair, a time capsule was buried at the close of the fair and was slated for disinterment in 2022. For a dollar, a space no larger than the size of shoe box, could be purchased and items placed in the time capsule. The items were to be addressed to the family name and could be claimed in 2022 by the nearest relative.

In 1972 Tom Kitch, previous owner of the funeral home that is now Hornung Family Funeral Home, along with Seward County, buried the time capsule. The time capsule was never marked with the location of the burial. Upon the death of Tom Kitch and the sale of the funeral home, the marker that was to be placed at the location of the time capsule was found in the garage. The year 2022 came and went and no mention of the time capsule was made.

In 2024 Mike Gatlin reached out to Seward County regarding the time capsule. Mike was just a teenager and worked for Tom Kitch in 1972. Mike recalls members of the community placing items in the capsule for future generations including his own parents who wrote letters for him and his siblings and placing them in the time capsule. Mike thought he knew the vicinity in which the time capsule had been buried, but was not certain of the exact location.

Mike is now facing some medical challenges and we were more than determined to locate this time capsule
and open up this piece of history for him and all the community to join in remembering our past and what was preserved for the future.

Seward County, Hornung Family Funeral Home, and Mike Gatlin invite you to join us on Friday, November 1, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. as we anxiously unveil the items in the time capsule.