CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs opens 97-year-old time capsule

CHI St. Vincent Hospital in Hot Springs on Wednesday opened a 97-year-old time capsule recovered from the cornerstone of the soon-to-be-demolished St. Joseph Hospital.

The hospital was erected in 1927 by the Sisters of Mercy, and operated for decades before being repurposed as a dormitory for the Arkansas School of Math, Sciences, and Arts.

The building is set to be demolished in 2025. Michael Millard, Market Director of Mission for the hospital, said the time capsule was an exciting find that reinforces its history and mission.

"The expectation was that we would find the cornerstone, and then there would be the time capsule in there, because it was very typical of the time to do that. So when we did find it, yeah, it was really exciting. And the time capsule is in really good shape, there is no evidence of water damage."

Millard said many building projects of that time were completed during commemorative celebrations.

"There would be a ceremony to lay the cornerstone, which very literally was the corner of the building, and marked the beginning and the strongest part of that building. It would be upon what everything else was built. And it was blessed, and inside of it was put that little box. In that little box is a snapshot of time."

Inside the capsule were many artifacts, including religious medallions, notes from the archbishop located in St. Louis, a telephone book and newspaper from the time, and a single silver-certificate dollar bill, which Millard found especially sentimental, reaching back to the founding of the hospital.

“After being called to be here to open and operate the hospital, they showed up with one dollar in their pocket to make it work," said Millard. "And guess what? They made it work, and they made it work really, really well.”

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Artifacts from the time capsule include religious medallions, coins, a copy of the hospital deed, letters, postcards, and a silver certificate one-dollar bill

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Artifacts from the time capsule include religious medallions, coins, a copy of the hospital deed, letters, postcards, and a silver certificate one-dollar bill

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Artifacts from the time capsule include religious medallions, coins, a copy of the hospital deed, letters, postcards, and a silver certificate one-dollar bill

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Artifacts from the time capsule include religious medallions, coins, a copy of the hospital deed, letters, postcards, and a silver certificate one-dollar bill

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Artifacts from the time capsule include religious medallions, coins, a copy of the hospital deed, letters, postcards, and a silver certificate one-dollar bill

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Artifacts from the time capsule include religious medallions, coins, a copy of the hospital deed, letters, postcards, and a silver certificate one-dollar bill

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Artifacts from the time capsule include religious medallions, coins, a copy of the hospital deed, letters, postcards, and a silver certificate one-dollar bill

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Artifacts from the time capsule include religious medallions, coins, a copy of the hospital deed, letters, postcards, and a silver certificate one-dollar bill

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Artifacts from the time capsule include religious medallions, coins, a copy of the hospital deed, letters, postcards, and a silver certificate one-dollar bill

Millard framed the time capsule as a physical representation of the lifelong commitment of the hospital’s founders and staff.

"What's really cool is that we've got folks that started their career at the old hospital that are still working for us, and they're going to be here. We have representatives from the Sisters of Mercy who are going to be here. That was the order that actually founded the hospital.”

CHI St. Vincent is planning a permanent display of the artifacts at its Hot Springs location.