1795 and all that

Twenty Years is quite an achievement in anything.

Attaining that anniversary warrants a bit of a celebration requiring little or no excuse. It could be wedlock, an employment position, coming of age, a friendship, the end of a prison sentence and many more landmark occasions.

Even more special was the marking of the completion of the first two decades of a fledgling nation which had fought gallantly to break free of a Colonial Master hell bent on exploitation and the plundering of seemingly unlimited natural resources.

Paul Revere and Samuel Adams sat back in their leather armchairs, buckled shoes off and wiggling their toes in the warming glow of the study fire and congratulated themselves on their pivotal roles as Founding Fathers of the United States of America.

It had been a good friday evening in the company of their peers and the well to do of Boston society. Much wine and plentiful spirits had been consumed in the toasting of freedom from oppression and in anticipation of the country emerging as a world power in its own right.

Revere had dined out many a time with those keen to hear at first hand the bare facts of his gallant ride to alert his compatriots to the advance of the British all of those years ago. He regularly had to put the record straight that, unlike many dramatic depictions and re-enactments of that night, he had not shouted "The British are coming". The adrenalin and emotion of his horseback ride had rendered him almost speechless at the time.

Samuel Adams whilst equally active in the campaign for Independence was more bookish although his family did have a well known interest in brewing and was fond of a tipple.

Both men had been part of the resistance to British domination prior to the outbreak of actual hostilities and most notably had been present at the Boston Tea Party in 1773 as an act of defiance against a crippling regime of taxes and legislation.

Revere was, himself, quite a practical man and excelled as a metalsmith and engraver. His company had been awarded the contract for what was proposed to be the splendid embellishment in copper of the dome of the Boston Massachusets State House.

After the anticipation of the 20 year anniversary event and the excitement of that evening's reception, Grand Ball and fine dining both men were a bit tired but still felt strangely deflated as though something still needed to be done.

Neither recalled who had first launched the idea of creating a long lasting record of that special day but it had been spawned by one of them taking the last cigar from the brass box on the expansive desk.

Faced with an empty container it was a case of thinking up what would best fill it up again as a commemoration of the anniversary.

The influence of a heavy night of drinking was strong in the decision making process. Revere emptied the pockets of his top coat seeking an item worthy of being held in perpetuity for the amazement and reverence of future generations. A half cent, 3 cents, a quarter dollar and a half dollar were all that the deep lining produced and they were lined up ceremoniously on the desk in readiness for placing in the cigar box, time box or , what would be more apt a description to encapsulate the mementos......ah, capsule, time capsule.

Adams was skint having spent his last nickel on tipping the coachman on the return to the house. He pulled open a drawer on his writing bureau and pulled out a folded handkerchief in which he kept a cherished possession in the form of a Pine Tree Shilling from 1652.

Not to be outdone in sacrificing a prized item, Paul Revere took from his leather pouch a beautiful piece of engraved silver which he had been working on for some time as an intended epitaph.

It was carefully laid out with a quick buffing up with a silk cloth for inclusion in the time capsule.

Both men agreed that some recognition of the President of the United Estates be included and a George Washington Medal was added after having been freed from a glass cabinet in the fireplace alcove. Further plundering of the desk produced various calling cards from colleagues, society types and acquaintances. Revere, worse for wear on brandy ripped off the front page, the title page of the Massachusets Colony Records, upon finding it on a low side table.

Samuel Adams, not thinking of the consequences or potential scandal for misappropriation of State Property mischievously and with a nervous giggling sought out the Official Seal of the Commonwealth and presented it in mock grandeur to Revere who promptly threw it onto the growing pile of memorabilia and paraphanelia.

Packing the items into the smallish tin proved a puzzle made more difficult by bleary eyes and shaking hands. The lid had to be coaxed down into place without being distorted. The men realised that something practical needed to finish off the collection of items, The process of compiling the box had taken them well into the saturday morning.

Perhaps both had fitfully dozed off for some of the time because they were startled out of their stupor by the sound of the letter box at the front door and the distinctive sound of a newspaper hitting the tiled floor. The early edition of The Boston Mail would be the ideal final item as it was the perfect means of authenticating the date.

The capsule, the first of its kind it happens, was soon to form part of a cornerstone of the structure of the Boston Massachusets State House in a more formal and sober ceremony than at its inception. Hermetically sealed it would remain in that position until 1855 when a water leak caused the custodians of the building to open it in case any damage had occurred. It's contents were added to and the container again embedded in the stone work,

On 6th January 2015 it was again excavated and perused by 21st Century Bostonians. The items were no less remarkable and of interest but somehow the personal and human touch was missing.