The contents of “the box” that was buried under the General Philip Schuyler statue in front of Albany’s City Hall is now on display. But the contents are more than just historical artifacts.
Inside of the box, Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan found a 12.5 carat ring originally belonging to Theodora Amsdell Hawley, the wife of George Hawley, who invested in real estate and owned the Dobler Brewery in Albany. Hawley gifted the statue to the city in memory of his late wife in 1925. Sheehan says when she saw the ring, she knew the box needed to be turned over to the Albany Institute of History and Art.
Inside of the box, curators found medals, letters, jewelry, and — in a surprise — a pistol.
Diane Shewchuk, curator for the Albany Institute of History and Art, says she realized she was not just going through historical documents, but putting together a love story. Shewchuk says most items within the box were labeled. She says the box had both the Hawley’s engagement rings—one of which was set with 12.5 carats of diamonds.
“I can look at some newspaper databases and pull articles about their wedding,” Shewchuk said. “So, I knew who was there, what dress she wore, but then to actually see the ring he gave on Christmas day in 1891, because they got married in 1892 and they were engaged for three months. So that was pretty amazing. I don't know the whole story yet, because he only put certain things in the box but I kind of gleaned stuff from doing separate research.”
Shewchuk says she took the responsibility of putting the exhibit together serious.
“I'm telling the stories of people that wanted us to know certain things about their life in 1925 for the future,” Shewchuck said. “So, it was fun to read all the letters. And then to decide what the little stories were that I would tell from my reading all the letters and things that were in the box.
The exhibit is broken up into sections. Shewchuk says there is something for everyone.
“The churches of Albany wrote up, basically a little essay about the state of churches in Albany, the hostile Albany hospital wrote something the hotel industry wrote something. So, we all understood what the impact of prohibition was on the hotel industry. And the beer industry has a little section as well.”
The contents helped curators recognize other items in their collection. Shewchuk says the Chamber of Commerce placed a number of items in the box – largely brochures meant to entice businesses to settle in Albany. Shewchuk says inside the box were mentions of toilet paper and billiard balls – pieces already in the Institutes collection.
“That was really nice to know that we've been collecting the right thing all these years,” Shewchuk said.
Terrance McKinney is one of the city’s Department of General Services employees that helped to uncover the box. He says it was a unique experience compared to his day-to-day work.
“I'm glad to be a part of history. You know, my guy right here you know, he was the operator. We tell him where to dig and he dig and we got it out of there.”
Mayor Sheehan says she was shocked to see the catalog of items.
“I was expecting photographs and some old books and some almanacs and maybe a few letters,” Sheehan said. “And I think when people really see how much was packed into that tiny box, they are going to be surprised. So, it's worth coming here. Spending time looking at it, seeing what Albany looked like and there are photos that go back much further than from 1925 and to really see what people where they lived. I think there's a fascinating book about the horses of the breweries because remember, the beer would have been delivered by horse drawn carriages and so people took pride in things like their horses and their carriages so I think it's also interesting to see what people really treasured back at that time.”
While the box features businesses and lays out Hawley’s love for his wife, Sheehan says it only shows part of the story.
“The people that he reached out to place information in his time capsule were the businessmen of the day, and the bankers and those who were in industry,” Sheehan said. “And so that's the viewpoint that we're hearing from. We don't hear from children. We don't hear from women; we don't hear from people of color. So, it's telling a very specific part of our history. But it's still an important part of our history. And I think one of the things that struck me is that there's a letter that talks about how Albany has been very resistive to change. This was somebody in 1925, saying that for the last 300 years, those with power in Albany have been resistive to change. And there are some of us more newcomers like myself who still feel that, to an extent. And so, I think it's a challenge to us to say Have we really grown away from that?”
Even though the box only captures the city at a moment in time, Sheehan adds she is surprised at the similarities of the city after nearly a century. The Democrat highlighted the city’s thriving business’, technology, and community.
Clara Yates, a visitor to the gallery, says she might have an idea as to why a pistol was placed in the capsule.
“Apparently there is no note on the gun,” Yates said. “So, I wonder if there was a murder around the time of the box and this was a good way to make the gun disappear for 100 years, I don't know”
The collection is on display through February 20th.
A permanent home for the Schuyler statue, which was taken down after the national racial reckoning in 2020, is still being worked out.
