Crypt of Civilization
Dr. Thornwell Jacobs turned a swimming pool in the basement of Oglethorpe University into a giant time capsule between 1937 and 1940. This 20-foot-long room holds 800 cubic feet of artifacts showing how people lived in the 1930s.
Jacobs sealed the crypt on May 25, 1940, behind a welded steel door. It will stay closed until May 28, 8113 – over 6,000 years later.
The Guinness Book of World Records calls it the first modern time capsule.
Egyptian Tombs Inspired Thornwell Jacobs
Dr. Jacobs got frustrated in 1935 when he found how little we know about ancient civilizations. Recently opened Egyptian tombs showed only bits and pieces of daily life thousands of years ago.
Jacobs wanted to do better for the future. He shared his plan in Scientific American magazine in November 1936. He would save a record of 1930s knowledge and culture.
During a 1937 radio broadcast, Jacobs called this his generation’s “archaeological duty” to help future historians.
The Origin Of The 8113 CE Opening Date
Jacobs picked the opening date using math and history. He found that 4241 BCE, when the Egyptian calendar started, was exactly 6,177 years before 1936.
Jacobs figured 1936 marked the halfway point of human history. He then added another 6,177 years to get 8113 CE.
He chose May 28 for both the sealing and future opening. The university sold metal tickets for $1 that would let buyers’ descendants attend the opening ceremony thousands of years later.
Scientists Turned A Swimming Pool Into A Time Vault
Construction began in August 1937 led by Thomas Kimmwood Peters, an inventor and photographer. They picked a swimming pool in Phoebe Hearst Hall because it already had waterproof walls.
The National Bureau of Standards gave advice on how to preserve things. Workers covered the walls with porcelain plates set in pitch to keep water out.
The room sits on solid granite bedrock with a thick stone floor and ceiling. This design should protect everything inside for thousands of years.
Special Technology Protected Items For Millennia
The team created new ways to preserve the crypt’s contents. They put delicate items in stainless steel containers lined with glass.
Workers removed all air and replaced it with nitrogen gas to prevent decay. Documents were photographed onto microfilm and sealed in airtight containers.
Peters made backup copies on metal film just in case. Knowing electricity might not exist in 8113, they included a wind-powered generator to run the machines inside.
The Massive Door That Seals Human History
A company in Ohio made the stainless steel door guarding the crypt. David Sarnoff, president of RCA, led a ceremony on May 28, 1938, to dedicate the door, two years before final sealing.
The door has art deco designs with rectangular shapes and a round “moon hubcap” pattern. Film crews recorded the 1938 event. This metal barrier is now the only part of the crypt visitors can see.
How 640,000 Pages Of Knowledge Were Preserved
Peters, who invented the first 35mm microfilm camera, led a huge project to save human knowledge. From 1937 to 1940, Peters and students photographed over 640,000 pages from more than 800 books onto microfilm.
They included religious texts, classics, scientific works, and 200 fiction books. They even made a special “Language Integrator” machine to teach future humans English.
Everyday Objects That Tell Our Story
The crypt holds hundreds of common items showing daily life in the 1930s. These include practical things like a typewriter, radio, cash register, and adding machine.
There’s also dental floss and a woman’s purse with its contents. Toys in the crypt include plastic figures of Donald Duck, the Lone Ranger, a Black doll, and Lincoln Logs building blocks.
People from around the world donated items, from King Gustav V of Sweden to Eastman Kodak Company.
Voices And Images From A Pre-War World
The team saved sounds and images of the late 1930s as war approached. They recorded speeches by world leaders including Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, Chamberlain, and Roosevelt.
They also saved fun recordings like Popeye the Sailor and a champion hog caller. Movie producer David Selznick gave an original “Gone With The Wind” script.
Peters made a film about the crypt called “The Stream of Knowledge.” The crypt also contains a telephone, television, altimeter, and barometer.
The Solemn Sealing Ceremony On May 25, 1940
Atlanta radio station WSB broadcast the crypt’s closing as Europe fought in World War II. Important guests included Atlanta’s Mayor, Georgia’s Governor, and the U.S. Postmaster General.
The last items placed inside were steel printing plates from the Atlanta Journal newspaper showing war headlines. Workers then welded the door shut as the world faced an uncertain future.
Jacobs’ Somber Message To The Future
Jacobs left a sad message for the people of 8113. “The world is engaged in burying our civilization forever, and here in this crypt we leave it to you,” he said, showing his worry about the coming war.
A metal plaque on the door asks future generations to leave the crypt untouched until the right time. Jacobs had directions to the crypt written in 14 languages and sent to libraries worldwide in case the university didn’t survive.
Visiting The Crypt at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, GA
You’ll find the crypt door in the basement of Phoebe Hearst Hall at Oglethorpe University, 4484 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta, Georgia. The university welcomes visitors to see this historic time capsule year-round during campus hours.
Though you can’t enter the sealed chamber, interpretive displays nearby explain what’s preserved inside.
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