Time capsule contents

Monday, September 15, 2008

Steve Lyne, master of Masonic Lodge No. 135, McCook, unfolds copies of the 1908 McCook Republican and McCook Tribune newspapers, discovered during a ceremony Sunday to reveal the contents of a copper time capsule embedded in the cornerstone of the 100-year-old Masonic Temple Building in the 300 block of Norris Avenue in downtown McCook. Before about 125 spectators, Lyne pulled out a Bible, books of Masonic bylaws (some dating from 1906) and a $10 stock certificate issued for the construction of the Masonic building and opera house. Founders estimated construction would cost 45,000; the final cost, with seating and furnishing, was $52,000. The laying of the 300-pound marble cornerstone -- which cost founders $10 -- was marked by "an all-day event" and "a parade, with a street-full of people," Lyne read from Masonic history, a book of which includes a photograph of construction from 1908. The main address was delivered by Sir Knight George W. Norris, later to become Nebraska Senator George Norris, for whom McCook's main street and city park are named. Items commemorating 2008 will be placed inside a new time capsule tucked into a new cornerstone, and replaced in the building's corner next spring, Lyne said.

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