June 15, 2026
Rich Press/National Institute of Standards and Technology
The America250 time capsule, left, and the bell jar that will cover it are shown here in the machine shop where they were created at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
A time capsule commemorating America's 250th anniversary that is being buried 10 feet below Independence Hall next month will include items ranging from a 3D rendering of Abraham Lincoln's hand to a recipe for New Mexico's state cookie.
America's Time Capsule will be uncovered in the year 2276. Its contents were collected from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., five of America's territories, professional sports leagues and other partners of America250, the national organization Congress tasked with leading the initiative. The group on Monday revealed the full list of items that went into the 900-pound stainless steel cylinder, which has been sealed and will be buried July 4.
State leaders were given the freedom to choose which items best represent their state's culture and history. Most opted to keep their submissions minimal — with commemorative brochures or a message from their governor.
Pennsylvania included a letter from Gov. Josh Shapiro that's addressed to citizens 250 years from now and an archival booklet listing some historical achievements in the commonwealth. New Jersey submitted an inscribed stainless steel plate that sends its well wishes to the generations of the future and the state’s motto — “Liberty and Prosperity” — in eight different languages.
“New Jersey sends greetings to the people of 2276, expressing the hope that the values that guide us in 2026 — liberty, opportunity, cooperation, love and respect for one another — continue to shape society 250 years from now,” the inscription says.
Other states decided to add more personal flair. For example, New Mexico submitted 12 knick-knacks including a vial of sand, a necklace from a Navajo silversmith, a bolo tie and a recipe for biscochito, the official state cookie.
America250’s partners also entered some Philly-based keepsakes. A lineup card from the 2026 Opening Day game between the Philadelphia Phillies and Texas Rangers was submitted by Major League Baseball, and PGA of America provided a divot tool that was used at this year's PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club and a photo of the winner, Aaron Rai.
Major League Baseball submitted an archival lineup card from the 2026 Opening Day game between the Phillies and Texas Rangers for 'America's Time Capsule.'
Some other items that went into the time capsule include Claude AI chatbot's response when asked for a prediction of what California will be like 250 years from now, a bone from the endangered North Atlantic right whale from Maine, and an original Coca-Cola bottle with the lyrics to “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke.”
The Library of Congress, which was tasked with weather-proofing the container, also included synthetic DNA that's encoded with digital copies of historic documents like the Declaration of Independence, 19th-century audio recordings of the “Star Spangled Banner” and a 3D rendering of President Abraham Lincoln’s hand.
“This is truly America’s Time Capsule,” Rosie Rios, chair of America250, said in a statement. “... When it is opened in 2276, we want future generations to have a clear, authentic window into who we were at 250 — what we valued, what we built and how we saw ourselves as a nation.”
Since America’s Time Capsule was first mandated by Congress in 2016 for the country’s semiquincentennial celebrations, scientists with the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and preservation experts at the Library of Congress have been tasked with perfecting the capsule’s design to withstand the next 250 years in Philadelphia’s humid environment.
“Because the capsule will be underground, it must be corrosion-resistant and impervious to gas and water,” Jay Nanninga, the mechanical engineer with NIST who built the structure, said in a statement. “We are using the best materials and scientific know-how, so when they open this capsule up in 250 years, the contents will be dry and intact.”
The capsule’s final design is a 900-pound cylinder rather than a box shape to keep the corners and edges from cracking, surrounded by a water and air-tight compression seal. The capsule will be encased in a 1,100-pound stainless steel bell jar cover that will create an air pocket to mitigate water intrusion and keep the capsule’s contents dry. Most contents will be placed within an archival box, and paper documents will be stored in a separate compartment in the capsule.
Last week, the cylinder was sealed shut at the NIST headquarters in preparation for its burial next month.
“Now that America’s Time Capsule has been sealed, it carries with it a remarkable record of this moment in our nation’s history,” Rios said. “This moment is as much about the future as it is the past. When it is opened in 2276, future generations will see the care, pride and optimism with which Americans marked our 250th anniversary.”
