Early last year, active church member Geoff Hurd made a surprising discovery while researching the history of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church: A time capsule had been placed inside the building’s cornerstone during its original construction in 1930.
The capsule has since been retrieved and relocated after concerns arose about upcoming renovations to the church’s exterior, but it will not be opened until 2030.
Hurd, a history enthusiast, had been researching newspaper archives for the church’s 100th anniversary celebration in 2024 when he realized the capsule had been created and hidden all these years.
“In my life experience, most people and most institutions think that they’re not making history, even though they are,” Hurd said. “They rarely leave any breadcrumbs that are of interest to people who follow.”
St. Paul’s originally relocated to Mt. Lebanon in 1924 from the South Hills, but for the first six years, members congregated at Washington Elementary School while plans for construction began. It was not until 1930 that the church building was erected and the time capsule was created to symbolize the era in which St. Paul’s was first established in the community.
The capsule itself is made of copper and, though oxidized, was completely intact when retrieved from the building. Its lid slides off easily, according to Hurd, and although he is unaware of the capsule’s contents, he could hear papers rustling inside. That suggests the items within the copper capsule remained relatively unharmed despite spending 96 years sealed inside a wall.
The Rev. Noah Evans has served as rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church since 2017 and sees the discovery as an opportunity to connect the church’s past with its present.
“Our community’s history has brought us to where we are today and can help us understand how we are called to serve the local community today and in the future,” Evans said.
History appeared to repeat itself when members of St. Paul’s created a separate time capsule just one year before the discovery of the 1930 capsule. Church members were unaware of the original container hidden within the walls when they assembled a second capsule intended to be opened in 2124.
The newly created time capsule will find a permanent location following renovations planned for the building this summer, and Hurd said he plans to clearly mark its location to ensure it is not overlooked in the future.
Had Hurd not been researching historical documents for the church’s anniversary, the cornerstone concealing the copper box likely would have remained hidden and become even more inaccessible following planned exterior additions, including railings.
Hurd shares a similar perspective with Evans. Both believe the capsules represent more than preserved artifacts — they symbolize the importance of passing culture, history and values from one generation to the next.
“Let’s leave something for the people who come after us so they understand what was important to us,” Hurd said.
Evans stressed the importance of using these milestones as reminders of the church community’s broader purpose. He said church members have used both the recent anniversary celebration and the future capsule opening as opportunities for reflection.
“History is not just about the past,” Evans said. “It is the soil from which our present has grown. At St. Paul’s, our story has been shaped by generations of people who built a church not just of bricks and mortar, but of mission and meaning.”
