YW Calgary time capsule contains 1909 Herald paper
As YW Calgary prepares to move to their new location in spring 2019, the group wanted to bring along cornerstones from their old building.
While a worker chipped away at them he began to uncover acrylic plastic time capsules, including one housing a copy of the Calgary Daily Herald from July 3, 1909, a copy bearing “Women’s Edition of the Daily Herald” as its main headline.
“It was a total surprise for us,” said Sue Tomney, chief executive of the YW.
“The initial reaction was ‘oh my gosh, I can’t believe there was something behind this,’ but then it got better and better. With every cornerstone that came out, there was something else beside it. It’s like Christmas around here as we go back 110 years in our history and see all these pieces put here for us.”
Tomney said they have enlisted the help of the Glenbow Museum to open the capsules and preserve the artifacts they contain.
Bette Lockwood, granddaughter of the YW’s first president, Kate Underwood, placed the artifacts from the 1910 and 1954 cornerstones in November 1970, along with artifacts of her own.
Along with the copy of the Herald, workers found a Coca-Cola bottle with a hand-written message and a business card for ‘A. A. Masonry’ with the name Albert Aalbers on it. Tomney figures the bottle dates to 1970, when the artifacts were placed.
Two years after the YW’s 1907 inception, the group realized the need to fundraise to carry on their work of providing boarding for women as they arrived in the young city.
One of their more visible fundraising campaigns saw them take over the Herald for the aforementioned 1909 edition. Meeting minutes from the time indicate the women had to go through great lengths to convince the Herald owners to allow the women to take charge of the paper.
Emily Spencer Kirby took on the role of managing editor, a Mrs. Robinson worked as the assistant editor and while Beatrice Stuart was the advertising editor, Lizzie Budd was hard at work on the fashion and recipe columns.
In return for their efforts, the women received $796.10 from that days Herald receipts — roughly $18,000 in present day funds.
Tomney said, “For us, it’s really important to have our history be a part of that. Because of what we have found there, we are curious as to what else has gone into this building. It was clearly important to the women who built this building that history was preserved.”
Tomney and the YW are now considering following suit, by putting a time capsule of their own in their new building.