Thanks to our good friends at Twin Blends Photography, we have recently learned that as workers began the work of disassembling the Confederate monument at the Caddo Parish Courthouse, to move it to the Pleasant Hill Battlefield Cemetery, they made an amazing discovery.

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In fact, Twin Blends was actually on hand to snap a photo of the 100+ year old relic!

Photo by Jim Lanaghan with permission.
Photo by Jim Lanaghan with permission.
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Apparently, it was a surprise to everyone involved as no one had predicted the find! Inside the monument, workers found a time capsule! What a find!

The owners of the monument, the United Daughters of the Confederacy, released this statement regarding the find. “Officers of Shreveport Chapter will be taking possession of what we call “a Memory Box” that has been found in the Caddo Parish Confederate Monument. “The Memory Box will not be opened immediately; we will be waiting to open the box until we have expert conservation help for any fragile documents.“

Well, of course, that leaves all our minds open for pure speculation. What could be in the box? What memories will it reveal? Will there be forgotten Caddo lore inside? Maybe there are nuggets of Shreveport or North Louisiana history that some have wished to forget? Who knows. And with no tentative date set for the opening of the box, we obviously have plenty of time to peak our curiosity.

What Was Happening in 1905 When The Time Capsule Was Placed in Monument?

To get a better understanding of just what was happening in 1905 when the monument was erected, this was the year that Las Vegas was founded, Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was President, the Wright Brothers third airplane, the Wright Flyer III, stayed in the air for 39 minutes becoming the first to stay in flight for over a half hour and it was the year the late Hollywood powerhouse,  Henry "Hank" Fonda was born.

Consider this. The Civil War itself lasted just days short of four years, from 1861 to 1865, so this monument was erected approximately only 42 years after the end of the war.

What  Can't Be In The Time Capsule?

Shreveport itself, having only been founded in 1836, was only 69 years old, so most everything we know of somewhat modern day Caddo Parish weren't even here when this monument went up.

C.E. Byrd High School wasn't established until 1925 and Fair Park High School wasn't constructed until 1928, so there can't be letters from graduating seniors in the time capsule.

Likewise, Centenary College didn't relocate to Shreveport from Jackson, Louisiana until 1909, so there won't be any reference from there either.

Oil wasn't discovered in Caddo Lake until 1906, so scratch the thought of any of those relics being in there.

Nope, nothing from Hamel's Amusement Park could be there. Hamel's Zoo founder, Charles Milton Hamel, wasn't even born until 1910.

Shriner's Hospital didn't open until 1922 and the Strand Theater wasn't around until 1925, so they won't be represented either.

Just What Could Be In The Time Capsule Found Inside Confederate Monument?

There could be a copy of the Shreveport Times as the paper began publication in 1871. There might even be a copy of the Shreveport Journal was circulated beginning in 1902.

While we're on newspapers, the capsule might contain a copy of the Caddo Gazette which was around as early as 1841.

There could be a program from the First Presbyterian Church which was established in 1880.

There might even be a library card as the Shreveport Library Association was created in 1890.

There could possibly be a flyer from M.L. Bath which began operations that very year in 1905.

Exactly what's in the time capsule?  I guess we'll all have to wait and find out.

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