Frozen in time
Time capsule offers glimpse into North Sydney’s past
A yellowed newspaper, stamps, a wallet and a message to protect democracy have been released from a North Sydney time capsule.
The relic was opened Thursday by members of the North Sydney historical society.
The small metal box was discovered after demolition of Thompson high school’s 70-yearold building in June.
The cache remained sealed until historical society president Joe Meaney popped its metal casing
Thursday morning.
“I said ‘I’m not going to look at it, in case it’s mush,’” Meaney said
with a laugh. “I didn’t even peek.”
Former school principal Alex Gilchrist pulled items from the box in front of a captivated crowd at the North Sydney museum.
The capsule was discovered inside the building’s cornerstone by stone masons working to refurbish the slab over the summer. The stone was first laid by town mayor A. Charles Thompson on July 20, 1949.
Gilchrist said he remembers talk of the stash upon his arrival at Thompson school in 1957.
“When word came out that the school was going to be demolished we decided, or mentioned it, to the historical society here,” Gilchrist said.
“At the time, teachers would tell me that there were newspapers and some historical documents that were put in, but of course you never know what you’re going to find.
“There was a lot of history in that time capsule — there’s no two ways about it.”
Jeannie Keeping, a former principal at Thompson junior high, said she felt a strong connection to the artifact.
“It’s very moving to me having been a part of the school for so long,” she said. “I worked there for 32 years, plus I was a student there. When they were reading some of the items I got goosebumps.”
North Sydney resident Joe Hillier said he attended Thompson high school in the 1950s.
He was surprised Thursday by how well the newspaper and other written materials stood the test of time.
“It’s quite a thing,” Hillier said.
Another local resident, Bobby Andrea, said he used to compete against Thompson in school hockey.
“My children went there,” he said. “It’s wonderful; that’s why I’m here. It’s your history.”
The ceremony was attended by Chuck Thompson, grandson of the school namesake, A. Charles Thompson.
“I was surprised that some of that stuff survived because apparently the history of all these time capsules is over that period of time they turn to mush — just from the moisture and the exposure — but everything is well preserved.”
Included in the capsule was a letter from the local ladies auxiliary that stated: “With honor, we, the mothers, wives, daughters
and sisters of the men who served in the Wars of 1914-1918 and 1939-1945; enclose this script, with the hope that with the laying of this cornerstone of an Educational Institution, that the future Students shall strive always to maintain a true and free Democracy; which so many have fought and died to preserve; so that they, the Students and all peoples of the British Empire could retain their Democratic ways of life.”
Additional items found inside the capsule included various denominations of Canadian
money including a silver onedollar coin.
A short paragraph in the newspaper of the day detailed the laying of the cornerstone, which is described as marking progress “to provide North Sydney with one of the finest high schools in eastern Canada.”
Several houses on former Thompson property were moved to new locations to make way for its construction.
An addition was built in 1964 and to house the growing number of students, 17 portable classrooms were added in 1972,
six of which were placed down the street from the school.
When Memorial High School in Sydney Mines opened in 1976, Thompson became a junior high school and later a middle school.
The building closed permanently in 2016.
According to the province’s school capital plan, a new middle school is slated to be built over the next five years in the North Sydney-Sydney Mines area.