By Helen Hollyer

With the state celebrating its 150th anniversary and the city of Creswell observing its 100th this year, an ad hoc committee has begun working with city officials and area residents to collect and preserve historic materials for future Creswellians to open and view in 2059.

August 9, 2009, exactly 100 years after the city was incorporated, a dedication ceremony will be held, during which a time capsule, a hermetically sealed container, will be placed in a cavity under the lobby floor in the new city hall currently under construction.

Time capsule project committee members Carol Hooker, Jean McKittrick, Shelley Humble and Helen Hollyer have researched suitable containers that will survive 50 years, as well as the types of material that will withstand deterioration and still be accessible to our descendents after half a century has elapsed.

While it would be easy to place hundreds of documents and photographs on CDs or DVDs, technological change is progressing so rapidly that it is highly unlikely that a method of accessing data preserved by today's high-tech methods would exist in 2059.

Similarly, even when sealed in a container designed specifically for long-term preservation of its contents, many organic materials, including newsprint, decompose rapidly, and are not suitable for long-term preservation.

City councilors voted unanimously at the last council meeting to allocate $1,000 toward the cost of the time capsule project after committee members agreed to raise funds for the balance needed.

Committee members estimate that the project will cost about $3,000, including the container itself, preservation materials and the expense of creating data that will survive and remain legible.

They have already raised several hundred dollars and secured the donation of an etched glass plaque that will display the names of organizations, businesses and individuals who make substantial donations to the project.

The plaque will be displayed in the city hall lobby, and will note the time capsule's location and the date it should be opened.

Those who contribute $250 or more will be designated as "archivists," between $100 and $249 as "historians" and $50 to $99 as "timekeepers." Of course, smaller amounts are welcomed as well.

Committee members have created commemorative buttons that say, "Creswell – Celebrating our Centennial 1909 – 2009," that are being sold for $2 each at several area locations, including The Creswell Chronicle, Creswell City Hall, Creswell Library, Creswell Chamber of Commerce, Siuslaw Bank, SOFCU Community Credit Union, Cascade Home Center, Creswell Coffee House, Ray's Food Place, Creswell Family Dental Clinic, Rocket In, Mom's Snak Shak, Hot Shots, Creswell Veterinary Clinic and the Creswell Airport.

Envelopes explaining the project and asking for donations will also be included in city water bills sent out at the end of March.

Committee members are also soliciting suitable material from Creswell's schools, churches, voluntary associations, organizations, businesses and individuals who have collected historical items, either for donation or reproduction.

Area residents will also be invited to stop by The Creswell Chronicle office after Monday, March 2 during normal office hours to sign a register to be placed in the time capsule.

Those interested in participating in the time capsule project, making a financial or material donation or receiving additional information, are asked to contact Carol at 915-1743.