What’s in the Time Capsule at the YMCA’s Camp Forbing?

A time capsule buried inside the wall at the YMCA's Camp Forbing was opened this morning.

The capsule wasn't big, about the size of a tablet computer, and made of metal. Inside it were several newspaper clippings, a couple of old letters, two rusty tobacco cans and a lot of coins. The documents were dated 1959, the year the capsule was placed in the wall.

There were other items on display during the capsule unveiling, including a wood beam on which former Pittsburgh Steelers' Quarterback Terry Bradshaw wrote his name, and the original sign for the swimming pool that Elvis Presley raised $16,000 to help build.

The land at Ellerbe and Flournoy Lucas is being prepared for construction of a new Kroger Marketplace. The sale of that land will help the YMCA fund a new 20-acre facility on Flournoy Lucas. It will include a YMCA complex and sports fields that can be used for athletic competitions or day camps.

About Camp Forbing (Courtesy of a Gremillion & Pou news release):

• The 47-acre parcel of land at Ellerbe and Flournoy Lucas was originally owned by Camp LASSA (Louisiana Sunday School Association) and operated as a church camp from 1900-1935. The YMCA established Camp Forbing on the same tract of land in 1945.
• In 1959, a Camp Forbing time capsule was created and put in a central wall to be opened years later.
• In 1956, Camp Forbing constructed a pool thanks to funds raised by Elvis Presley during a concert at Hirsch Coliseum.
• Over the past several years, Camp Forbing has hosted churches in the lodge, community meetings, family reunions, summer camps and a ropes challenge course.

Take a look at photos from this morning's event: