(AP Photo/Steve Helber)

RICHMOND—Governor Ralph Northam announced the 1887 time capsule will be opened today, Wednesday, December 22. A historic preservation team will open the capsule at 12:00 PM at the Department of Historic Resources lab, located at 2801 Kensington Avenue, Richmond, 23221.

The 1887 time capsule was discovered last Friday morning by crews disassembling the pedestal that formerly held the statue of Robert E. Lee on Monument Avenue in Richmond. It was found approximately 20 feet above ground level in the pedestal’s tower, not in the base.

Historians believe a time capsule was placed on October 27, 1887. Records from the Library of Virginia suggest that 37 Richmond residents, organizations, and businesses contributed about 60 objects to the capsule, many of which are believed to be related to the Confederacy.