Time Capsule found at Central State offers glimpse at Indiana's past

Central State time capsule offers glimpse at Indiana's past

 By: Gabrielle Ferreira     Source: www.indystar.com

Image source: www.indystar.com

On July 23, a demolition crew working on the grounds of the former Central State Hospital unearthed a time capsule buried on July 23, 1958, in the cornerstone of the Bahr Treatment Center building.

On Tuesday, the public got a glimpse at life more than 50 years ago, when the contents of the time capsule were laid out in the Artifact Room of the Indiana Medical History Museum.
Contents included newsreels from television stations showing the dedication of the building, four copies of newspapers from the day the capsule was buried, a program from the centennial of Central State Hospital in 1948, a photograph of the grounds at the time, and numerous bits and pieces — snippets of life in the late 1950s.

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"They were thinking about the future," said Sarah Halter, executive director of the Indiana Medical History Museum. "This was the time psychiatry was changing a lot and they wanted this building to last."

"It's very interesting to see the thinking in 1958 of why they built this building," said Derek Naber, the master project manager for the City of Indianapolis' Department of Metropolitan Development, who worked with the developers in the demolition of the building. "It was definitely a fun find."

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