During the repair of the 1887 monument, researchers unexpectedly uncovered a mystery box lying near its base. This one-of-a-kind find piqued people’s curiosity since it was thought to hold significant historical treasures. As a result, it was decided to open it right away, and the entire procedure was videotaped to preserve the moment the enigmatic box was unlocked.

The container was discovered concealed behind a pedestal, prompting the quick intervention of specialists, including prominent archaeologist Kate Ridgway. Given the years of exposure to moisture, experts originally questioned if anything could have remained within the container.

The box was carefully opened, and to everyone’s amazement, the treasures it contained from the nineteenth century were completely preserved. There were minutes of local Masonic lodge meetings, a Masonic sign, and various copies of newspapers and even bulletins from the time. The hermetically sealed stack of documents, on the other hand, drew the greatest interest.

Water got into this package, and recovering the more than 130-year-old data will take several months of painstaking investigation and repair effort.

Historians presently have no intentions to disseminate the contents of the documents, possibly owing to the sensitive nature of the information, especially because the box was buried beneath a statue of a Confederate general.