It’s arrived.
A time capsule designed to preserve Longview mementos for 100 years was opened this past week after arriving recently at the city’s Development Services Department.
City Planner Angela Choy and Development Services Director Michael Shirley on Wednesday morning pulled the 3-foot-tall, nearly 3-foot-wide, 11-inch-deep stainless steel container from its box.
“It’s large — larger than I thought it would be,” Choy said.
Choy is liaison to the Historic Preservation Committee, which purchased the capsule that, once it’s filled with items from Longview residents, will be buried at 10 a.m. May 8 outside the Longview Public Library.
The capsule won’t be opened for another century.
“We figured we’ll still have a library in 100 years,” said Community Services Director Laura Hill, who is staff liaison to the Longview 150 Committee.
The capsule burial is one of dozens of activities planned to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the founding of Longview in May 1870. Many of the activities are being coordinated by the Longview 150 Committee.
“We can store some history in that thing,” Hill said after seeing the capsule.
Residents have until March 1 to submit items that could be included in the capsule. Meanwhile, Historic Preservation Committee members are reaching out to many of the city’s longstanding businesses and organizations.
Anyone wanting to know more about what can be placed in the capsule is asked to email Choy at planning@longviewtexas.gov.
The Longview 150 Committee met this past week and scheduled its next meeting for 2 p.m. Oct. 16 at City Hall.
Longview 150 T-shirts are for sale in assorted colors and sizes for $20 at the Longview Public Library, 222 W. Cotton St., and at the Gregg County Historical Museum, 214 N. Fredonia St. They also will be for sale outside the museum during ArtWalk on Oct. 10, Library Director Jennifer Eldridge said.
For information about the Longview 150 celebration, go to longviewtexas.gov/3577 .