Time capsules removed from Bicentennial Park site ahead of housing project

LAKEVILLE –History will live on at Bicentennial Park even as the new Holley Place affordable housing development helps usher Lakeville into the future, with two time capsules of Salisbury’s past set to be preserved within the site.

The Bicentennial Park site is now being used for the affordable housing development, where a groundbreaking ceremony took place on Tuesday, March 24.

As part of that ceremony, the two artifacts were removed from the stone walls of the park along Millerton Road, where they had been embedded for nearly half a century. Because the walls will be demolished to make way for the 14-unit building, the capsules — along with several other historic elements — were taken out but will be reintegrated into a small commemorative courtyard at the corner of Holley Place and Millerton Road.

One capsule was interred by the town in 1976 to celebrate the country’s bicentennial, the namesake of the park, while the other was placed by members of Montgomery Lodge No. 13, the local chapter of the Freemasons, in 1983 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of its charter. Both capsules will remain sealed until their stated opening dates in 2076 and 2083.

When the Holley Place project was approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission in 2021, the resolution included a condition that “[provisions] shall be made for the preservation of any time capsule or other features of historical interest that may be discovered during the construction process. These should be relocated into the wall along Holley Street so they are publicly visible.”

That mandate ties directly to the site’s historical significance.

“There’s a big connection between the history of the lodge, the history of the town and Holley Block,” said Gil Ditkoff, a Master Mason of Montgomery No. 13, referring to the building that once stood on the site, which was built in the 1890s and torn down in 1967.

Montgomery No. 13, which met in several locations before settling in its current home in an old schoolhouse in downtown Lakeville, held meetings for more than a decade in the early 20th century in rooms within the Holley Block.

When the lodge celebrated its bicentennial in June 1983, the burial of its capsule was accompanied by a lively procession through town, followed by a dinner and meeting at the Hotchkiss School.

“It was a big, whole day thing,” Ditkoff said. A commemorative write-up of the occasion by lodge members describes a town-wide event with visiting dignitaries, music and speeches.

According to that document, the contents of the Freemasons’ capsule include a complete list of Montgomery Lodge master masons, the bicentennial celebration program, a list of current members, promotional material from The Lakeville Journal, a medal and apron issued for the celebration, and other documents and memorabilia.

Most notably, the capsule contains a picture of the lodge’s original charter, which was signed by Paul Revere. Ditkoff explained that the “No. 13” in the lodge’s title indicates it is the 13th oldest chapter within the Connecticut Grand Lodge of Freemasons.

The second capsule, placed in the wall on July 4, 1976, is being safeguarded by Lou Bucceri of the Salisbury Association. Bucceri said it contains a copy of the town’s 1976 report, a copy of The Lakeville Journal and a bicentennial program guide.

For Montgomery No. 13, Ditkoff is eager for future members to be able to look back and connect with Salisbury’s history.

“We certainly hope that Montgomery Lodge No. 13 will be here and thriving with the next generation of freemasons active in supporting the town of Lakeville and surrounding communities as they have done for 243 years,” he said.

“Fingers crossed, people will be inspired to continue some of these traditions that have served this community well over so many years.”

Salisbury has three additional time capsules, according to Salisbury Town Tidbits: one beneath Town Hall from 1987, another at Indian Mountain School from 1985, and a third from Hotchkiss School’s 1993 centennial.