The America 250 Time Capsule: What Did Tennessee Contribute?
Tennessee Today

Credit: PBS News 

 

On July 4th, 2026, America will bury a time capsule, preserving what today’s nation is like for future Americans in 2276.  

The 900-pound time capsule will be buried in celebration of America’s Semiquincentennial at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia and will not be touched for the next 250 years. 

All 50 states are represented in the capsule with their chosen artifacts, as well as Washington, DC, the five U.S. territories, and other pop culture items and student submissions. This collective effort is meant to help America capture its history at this moment in time. 

Tennessee’s contribution to the time capsule is a 3D-printed stainless steel model of the state. The model was produced by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the lab at the forefront of Tennessee’s nuclear energy innovation. Three symbols appear on the model, representing music, moonshine, and innovation.  

 

Credit: Oak Ridge National Laboratory

 

Each state has already announced its contribution. Ohio sent a piece of fabric from the Wright Brothers’ flight on December 17, 1903. Maine contributed a North Atlantic right whale bone, which is likely to become extinct. California provided a fusion superconductor, a quantum computing chip, and an AI-printed prediction of how the state will be in the next 250 years.

The time capsule was buried with the hope that centuries from now, it will offer future generations a window into the people and community that called this place home. Here’s hoping they find us more fascinating than outdated!