Look Back to 1950 New York Through a Time Capsule

The New York Transit Museum dug up a 64-year-old piece of history rom a building in downtown Brooklyn. The building used to be the home of the New York Transit Authority. But the city is letting NYU turn it into a research center. So, the time capsule from 1950 came up. When workers opened it, they found just three objects; a nickel, a newspaper, and a glass jar they think was filled with disintegrated microfilm. And after being underground for 64 years, water damage was inevitable. Museum Conservator Toya Dubin described herself as disappointed by the poor condition of the contents.

"There's nothing here that I think probably would be truly slavageable. It's actually just an oppertunity to have a great exibit on time capsules."

But, she says, even though this one didn't work out, she has high hopes for future MTA time capsule projects.

"You know, that someone thought about doing this in 1950 is really pretty neat. I hope that someone will consider doing that for future porjects. It might be fun for the MTA to do that."

The contents may be unsalvageable, but museum officals said the capsule itself could be added to the New York Transit Museum in the future.