Middle Georgia State University buries time capsule in Macon

A tennis ball, a facemask, a poster signed by staff and a penny were among the collection of items stuffed inside Middle Georgia State University’s time capsule that was buried next to a flagpole outside the university’s library in Macon.

The capsule was one of several buried across MGA’s five campuses Friday to mark the 10-year anniversary of the institution becoming a state university.

Just before the small metal box was buried, MGA’s president Christopher Blake invited faculty and staff to add their DNA by touching the box. Attendees also helped shovel dirt over the capsule once it had been stuck in the ground.

“It’ll be fascinating to imagine what this university would look like when they open this,” Blake told attendees at the ceremony.

The box is set to be unearthed in 40 years on July 1, 2065. Ashley Bennett, MGA’s archivist, is going to make sure that someone remembers to dig it up by then.

Bennett contributed some buttons and made sure everything was properly protected so the box’s contents could last 50 years. Biodegradables and organic and acidic materials were omitted from the contents of the box, she said.

Bennett said she’s very interested in time capsules. She even watches over one in the university’s archive that was put together by a professor years ago.

“The draw is the unknown, to know what our past selves have done to provide any kind of information for the future,” she said.

Jennifer Brannon, vice president of Middle Georgia State’s student affairs, said the college’s elevation to the university level was a great opportunity for the community.She added a handful of photos to the time capsule, including one of her jumping into a pool for charity.

Brannon said she believes people will be interested in seeing what happened in the school’s first 10 years as a state university.

“People like history,” Brannon said. “People like looking back on how things were, just out of curiosity.”