Eastburg asks community for letters to place in 50-year time capsule
East Stroudsburg Borough is on the lookout for letter writers to contribute a piece of history for a time capsule set to be buried this December.
As part of the conclusion for the Anniversary Celebration for East Stroudsburg, the borough is asking community members to draft a letter to the future that will be buried for half a century before being unearthed, providing a glimpse into the past that will be revealed once Eastburg turns 200 years old.
"It's a letter to someone in the future, whether it be to the community at large, whether it be to their children, whether it be their grandchildren, or whomever they wish to write it to," Maury Molin, borough council member and co-chair of the 150th — or "sesquicentennial" — Anniversary Celebration for East Stroudsburg, said.
Molin said that letters to the future will be accepted at the Eastburg Community Alliance's Holiday Tree Lighting event from 6 to 9 p.m. on Dec. 3 at Miller Park behind Dansbury Depot, or at the the borough office up until Dec. 6.
Molin noted that the recently-opened time capsule from 1970 contained a collection of letters from writers that reached out to themselves and others — "some kids in high school wrote a letter, and when they were 16, now, 50 years later, when we opened up the time capsule, they were 67" — that provided an enlightening glimpse into the past.
While there aren't any specifications for what should be included in a letter, it is recommended that any handwritten or typed correspondence — photos can be included as well — should be placed in a regular sized envelope and addressed to the individual that the writer wishes to open it in 2070.
"It's just really neat to see where you have been and what you thought the community would be like," Molin said, adding that the project provides a "connection (that) is just phenomenal."
And this activity isn't limited to children, either, as anyone is welcome to send a note that transcends half a century, offering an intriguingly personal look into the history of a major part of the Poconos.
"I always think optimistically: If you're someone under 50, and you would write it, and you lived to be 100, you would open that letter when you were 100. Wouldn't that be something neat?" Molin said.
This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Calling all writers: East Stroudsburg time capsule needs letters
