SALT LAKE CITY — Leaders from the Japanese Church of Christ unveiled artifacts found in a 101-year-old time capsule on Saturday, showcasing the story of early Japanese immigrants to Salt Lake City.
According to a press release from Michelle Schmitt, the previously unknown time capsule contained three newspapers, Sunday school records, an American and Japanese flag and two small bibles, one of which had been brought to Utah by a Japanese immigrant in 1906.
“Finding the time capsule without any record of its existence feels like a miracle, especially as we celebrate together 100 years of our sacred church building,” Japanese Church of Christ Reverend Andrew Fleishman said. “It’s a blessing to reflect on the Japanese spiritual pioneers who took care and attention to leaving this special gift for today’s generation to find.”
Discovery of the time capsule
According to Schmitt, Lorraine Crouse, a trustee of the Japanese Church of Christ and former University of Utah historian, suspected a time capsule may exist, considering the popularity of time capsules at the time of the building’s construction…