McIver Building Cornerstone Time Capsule
The McIver Building's cornerstone time capsule can be traced all the way back to 1908, when a great ceremony with a parade was held on campus to celebrate the laying of the cornerstone for the original McIver Memorial Building. A small box containing books, a copy of the Bible, the Constitution of North Carolina, college programs and publications from 1908, North Carolina newspapers, and McIver's family tree, as well as material related to the Masonic Order and the Presbyterian Church, was placed in the building's cornerstone.
The McIver Memorial Building was demolished in 1956 and replaced by a new modern building, also named for Charles Duncan McIver. The little copper box that held the original time capsule was opened during the 1957 Founder's Day festivities, only to find that it had not been sealed properly and much of the original material was ruined.
There was a general feeling that another time capsule should be incorporated into the new McIver Building. The material for the time capsule was assembled by school librarian Charles Adams and a small committee. They were able to keep the bottom of the original copper box and arranged for a new top to be made by a local roofer. The committee made sure that the seams of the box were soldered so it would remain air-tight. Along with the original 1908 material that could be salvaged, contemporary items such as newspapers and a yearbook were also sealed within the box and placed into the cornerstone. On October 5, 1959, during the Founder's Day ceremony, the cornerstone from the original structure was incorporated into the new McIver Building.
With the demolition of the McIver Building in Spring 2018, it was decided that the cornerstone time capsule should be opened. Unfortunately, just as in 1957, the time capsule contents did not fare well against the ravages of the environment and time. Water damage and mold covered all of the materials, making them unsalvageable.
Fortunately, the Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives in the UNCG University Libraries has a strong program focused on preserving the University's history, from its founding through the present day. Because the materials in the time capsule were not unique (most being published materials), the overwhelming majority of these items can be found in University Archives. Many are available for viewing online. Additional items not in University Archives can be accessed through various newspaper databases available to those with a UNCG login.
More Information:
Items Placed in the McIver Building Cornerstone Time Capsule
This is a list of all of the items that were placed in the McIver Building cornerstone time capsule in Fall 1959. Direct links to the digitized copies of the items are included when available. Some documents have not yet been digitized but are available for viewing in the Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives. For information on how to view these items, please see the SCUA website.
Replaced from the cornerstone laid on May 25, 1908:
- Bible
- Decennial Volume of the State Normal and Industrial College (1902)
- Charles Duncan McIver Memorial Volume
- State Normal Magazine (March 1908)
- First (1892-1893) and Sixteenth (1907-1908) Annual Catalog of the State Normal and Industrial College
- College booklet
- Biennial Report of the Board of Directors of 1906
- Program of Commencement Exercises (1908)
- The Constitution of North Carolina (1905)
- The family tree showing ancestral descent of Charles D. McIver
- Roll of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Churches in the U.S. (May 25, 1908)
- The Westminster Shorter Catechism
- Proceedings of The Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free, and Accepted Masons of North Carolina (title page, frontispiece, officers, 1908)
- Copies of The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, March 26, 1908); Available in the Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers database [requires UNCG login]
- The Daily Record (Greensboro, May 22, 1908); Available in the America's Historical Newspapers database [requires UNCG login]
- The Greensboro Patriot (May 17, 1905)
- Charlotte Daily Observer (May 24, 1908); Available in Jackson Library on microfilm [FILM 2159]
- The Greensboro Telegram (May 24, 1908); Available in Jackson Library on microfilm [FILM 3139]
- Daily Industrial News (Greensboro, May 23, 1908); Available in the America's Historical Newspapers database [requires UNCG login]
Additions to the contents of the cornerstone relaid on October 5, 1959:
- Programs for the Cornerstone Ceremony and Founder's Day (October 5, 1959)
- Carolinian (October 2, 1959)
- The Greensboro Daily News (October 4, 1959); Available in the America's Historical Newspapers database [requires UNCG login]
- The Greensboro Record (October 3, 1959); Available in the America's Historical Newspapers database [requires UNCG login]
- Pine Needles (1959)
- McIver of North Carolina by Rose Howell Holder (1957); Jackson Library Stacks LD3952 .H6
- Catalogue for the year 1959-1960
- What We Are About by Gordon W. Blackwell; Available in UNCG University Archives
- Religion at Woman's College
- Here's How
- The Consolidated University of North Carolina; Available in UNCG University Archives
- Let's Face the Facts; Available in UNCG University Archives
- Laws of the University of North Carolina, By-Laws of the Board of Trustees, and The Duties of The University Officers, 1954; Available in UNCG University Archives
- Pictorial folder on The Woman's College of the University of North Carolina
- Charles Duncan McIver by Frances Gibson Satterfield (1942)
- "Designed by 23 College Girls" from McCall's, November 1958
- "A House with a College Diploma" in Living for Young Homemakers, October 1959; Jackson Library Stacks NA7100 .L5
- The Alumnae News (Gordon W. Blackwell Installation Issue), April 1958
- Educate a Woman edited by Virginia Terrell Lathrop (1942); Jackson Library Stacks LD7251.G562 L3
- Woman's College News (September 1958); Available in UNCG University Archives
- Coraddi (Spring 1959)
- Directory of Clubs and Organizations in Greensboro (September 1959)
- Student Handbook (1959-1960)
- Picture of Chancellor Blackwell and members of the Cornerstone Committee, Miss Jane Summerell, Wendell M. Murray and Charles M. Adams, packing the cornerstone box