2nd time capsule discovered at Robert E. Lee statue site contains Bible, coins

The second time capsule discovered at the former site of a Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond, Virginia, contains a Bible with a coin stuck to it, a bullet, and an 1865 edition of Harper's Weekly that shows a person weeping over Abraham Lincoln's grave.

The copper box, which historians believe was buried in 1887, was found in a wet area, Virginia Department of Historic Resources Director Julie Langan said. Conservationists opened the box on Tuesday and saw there was water inside, making it harder to get the items — including several letters, coins, newspapers, books, and a Richmond directory — out. They will spend the next few weeks preserving and researching the artifacts, CNN reports.

This was the time capsule that crews expected to find at the site; on Dec. 17, they were surprised to discover a lead box containing items that were donated by Richmond residents in 1887, including dozens of pieces of Confederate memorabilia. The 12-ton statue of Lee and his horse that once stood at the site was removed in September, and the time capsules were found under the pedestal as it was being dismantled.

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