In 2021, a team led by State Archaeological Conservator Katherine Ridgway carefully opened time capsules discovered beneath the Robert E. Lee Monument in Richmond—boxes sealed since 1887. In this compelling program, Ridgway will share the journey of unearthing and preserving these long-buried artifacts, offering a behind-the-scenes look at what was found, how the conservation team preserved the fragile contents, and the ongoing work to understand and interpret them.

Ridgway—also an editor of The Buried Cause: Unearthing Hidden History in the Lee Monument Cornerstone—will discuss the wider context of Confederate monuments and what these unearthed items reveal about the people who contributed to and commemorated them. The recovered artifacts include a powerful mix of personal and political items: Masonic and military calling cards, copper coins collected by the sons of a Confederate veteran, a photograph of a memorial window from the Confederate Memorial Chapel, Southern bonds and currency, muster rolls, reunion medals and programs, and more.

This program is part of a broader Richmond Public Library initiative launching in Fall 2025 to expand our Digital Special Collection by gathering community-submitted narratives, images, and ephemera related to the Monuments Collection, documenting public responses and experiences from 2020 to 2022.