On Saturday, Jan. 29, 1916, the Fellsmere Tribune reported that a proposal to pack and ship Fellsmere tomatoes for 35 cents a box was brought before local farmers; a drainage project was underway at Fellsmere Farms; and the cornerstone of the new Fellsmere School (now Fellsmere City Hall), was going to be laid by the Masonic Lodge in a ceremony Jan. 31.
On Dec. 14, 2015, a group led by Fellsmere Historian Richard Votapka gathered at that very cornerstone, only weeks before the school’s 100th anniversary, to conduct what City Manager Jason Nunemaker described as “a forensic exam of sorts,” in an attempt to determine where the time capsule, said to be a copper box, lay within the concrete stone at the northeast corner of the building, with the goal of somehow opening it on Jan. 31, 2016.
The motley crew included:
Votapka, carrying copies of old documents, the cornerstone laying “program” from 1916, and a list of the contents – among them the City Charter and a buffalo nickel;
Josh Fisher (grandson of treasure hunter extraordinaire Mel Fisher), armed with an Excaliber 1000 metal detector, a totally cool piece of treasure hunting gear which brought to mind the days of King Arthur (with a touch of “National Treasure”);
Mike Treglio, Past Master of the Sebastian Masonic Lodge, who climbed a ladder to read the side of the stone on which were carved the names of Masonic leaders of a century ago, among them Worshipful Grand Master Cephus Wilson;
Robert Beaudoin and Pat Riviezzo of Titan General Contractors, who inspected the brick structure surrounding the cornerstone, trying to determine the best way to access the metal box without destroying the stone itself or damaging any of the building’s support members.
Then there was Fellsmere veterinarian Kelly Alderman with two of her staff and their portable X-ray equipment.
Climbing the ladders, Fisher and Alderman tried every possible angle with their equipment to “see” through the concrete to the box, but the cornerstone was not ready to give up its secrets.
“The strongest reading was on the lower right,” said Fisher. Tantalizing, but it was not enough to reveal anything.
Alderman said the X-ray could not penetrate the concrete, but bounced back, much, she explained, as it would off a metal horseshoe.
For his part, Nunemaker suggested, tongue in cheek, that, when the secrets of the stone were finally revealed, “at a minimum we expect to find the missing key to our alien forefathers and possibly much more.” He admonished those present that “you must accept responsibility for any secrets to our existence that may be revealed.”
Votapka remains determined, and has arranged with Beaudoin to acquire “ground-penetrating radar equipment.”
In a nod to “Jaws,” Fisher, gathering up his Excaliber 1000, commented, “We’re gonna need a bigger metal detector.”
