The capsule was placed in a cornerstone of the former school building on June 25, 1954, by the school’s sixth grade class. Much has changed over the past 70 years, including the building’s use. What was once a school is now adult apartments.

Cousins Dan and Tom Balling acquired the historic school building located at 2887 Fluvanna-Townline Road in Ellery in 2023 and transformed it into a modern, state-of-the-art apartment complex aimed at residents aged 55 and older. The efforts of a former Fluvanna Elementary School student ultimately led to the unveiling of the time capsule.

“Neil Boardman approached my cousin and I about a time capsule he and his classmates put behind the 1954 dated cornerstone,” said Tom Balling. “I told him we needed proof before we opened the block. And proof he did provide – including the program guide for laying the cornerstone, newspaper articles and clippings about the time capsule and cornerstone placement and others.”

More than 35 individuals gathered for the event, including Joseph Reyda, Bemus Point Central School superintendent, to celebrate the cornerstone breaking and the unveiling of the time capsule. The atmosphere was imbued with a sense of nostalgia, excitement, and curiosity as the community united to witness this historic occasion.

From left, Fluvanna Elementary alumnus Neil Boardman and Dan Balling, the property owner who opened a cornerstone of the now adult apartment complex Monday that contained a time capsule placed there by Boardman’s sixth-grade class in 1954. P-J photo by Christopher Blakeslee

“Since it was a sixth-grade class that put the time capsule in place, it’s only fitting that we replace it with our current sixth-grade class,” Reyda said.

Tom Balling said that he and his cousin would consider it an honor to allow the replacement of the time capsule in the same place.

Dan Balling ordered the cornerstone removed and requested that Boardman be the first to open the capsule.

As Boardman opened the capsule, he reflected on the memories of his classmates as they collaborated to create it, along with the support from teachers, students, and administrators that he said made the school such a remarkable place. With meticulous care, Boardman donned a pair of pristine white gloves, gently prying open the box. As he lifted each item out with a sense of reverence, he embarked on an informal inventory, his curiosity piqued by the treasures hidden within.

Some of the contents found within the capsule included a copy of Dec. 10, 1952, school Board of Education minutes with signatures of the active board members; the February 1954 Building Program Guide; a bond proposal brochure for the school to be built; pictures and signature of the Board of Education; photographs and signatures of the 1954 school administrative staff; pictures and signatures of the 1953-1954 Fluvanna Elementary Faculty; selected newspaper articles regarding the school and time capsule from The Post-Journal and the Jamestown Sun; a brick from the ‘old’ Fluvanna Elementary School; a copy of the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) handbook dated 1953; a pictorial story of a sixth-grade exhibit; the license of a stone mason and other items.

“This truly was a historic event,” said Boardman.