The America250 Commission sealed a stainless-steel cylinder weighing 900 pounds last week — a time capsule destined to be planted in Philadelphia on July 4, 2026, and not opened until the nation’s 500th birthday in 2276.
The capsule was mandated by the 2016 law that created the nonpartisan commission, charging it with planning the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The commission worked with states across the country, collecting items and coordinating a meticulous review process for what would go inside.
“Once it was closed, it was a little bit anti-climactic, and then it was kind of really emotional,” said Michael Berilla, who directs the fabrication technology office at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and led the team that designed and built the capsule.
The capsule’s construction required years of technical design, Berilla said. NIST engineers had to ensure the container would survive burial and remain sealed for a quarter of a millennium while protecting its contents from moisture, corrosion, and temperature shifts.
The commission has not released a full inventory of items placed inside the capsule, but officials have said the collection includes contributions from states and territories, reflecting American life in 2026.
The capsule will be interred at a location in Philadelphia on Independence Day. The National Park Service is expected to oversee the burial, with a ceremony marking the moment.
The 2276 opening date means the capsule will be unearthed by a generation living 250 years after the nation’s semiquincentennial — roughly the same span of time that separates today’s Americans from the signing of the Declaration of Independence.