Bicentennial time capsule offers “a snapshot of Adams County”

Published 6:31 pm Sunday, August 9, 2026

QUINCY — Adams County Bicentennial Commission Chairman Chuck Scholz added a personal touch to a time capsule set to be opened in 2075.

“It’s a letter to my granddaughters to be opened in 50 years when Nancy, my oldest granddaughter, will be 66,” Scholz said. “Hopefully they’ll still be around in this area to enjoy my letter.”

The letter will join items ranging from commemorative items and event programs from the bicentennial celebration to pieces tied to schools, arts, music, cultural and fraternal organizations, local businesses, community institutions and recreation in the time capsule, dedicated Sunday afternoon and set to buried in Washington Park and opened as Adams County celebrates its 250th anniversary.

“What we place inside is a snapshot of Adams County — who we are, what our communities look like, what matters to us, a little bit about what it was like to live here at this particular moment in history,” Adams County Board Chairman Bret Austin said.

By 2075, “whatever changes, I hope they recognize something familiar. I hope they see the same sense of community that has defined Adams County for generations — people willing to help their neighbors, serve their community, build businesses, raise families and leave this place a little better than we found it.”

Natalie Beatty, branch manager of the Quincy office for Harrison Monuments, worked with the commission to spearhead the project sending a collection of memories and moments into the future in the stainless steel capsule designed to be waterproof and stand the test of time.

“It’s been a lot of work, but a lot of fun and a great opportunity for me as a younger professional to meet a lot of new faces,” said Beatty, who hopes to be present when the time capsule is opened in 2075. “We invite you to reflect on where we’ve come from, what we’re leaving behind and the legacy we’re building together.”

Thirteen-year-old Serenity Gibson and 9-year-old Cass Gibson joined college-age and younger people at the dedication in pledging to carry forward the spirit of the Adams County Bicentennial by honoring its enduring mission to educate, commemorate and celebrate and to return to Washington Park to witness the opening of the time capsule.

“It’s exciting,” Cass said.

“It’s history. It’s important,” said Assistant Regional Superintendent of Schools Julie Stratman, who was in the audience for the dedication.

“I’m imagining the kids that will be a part of the unearthing of the time capsule, what was it like, all those memories then of that time,” Regional Superintendent Jill Reis said.

Quincy Mayor Linda Moore issued a challenge to those who will open the capsule in the future to remember those who gathered to dedicate it.

“Don’t just look at our old photos and gadgets with a laugh. Think of the heart behind that,” Moore said. “We built the foundation you will stand on. Now it’s your turn to build for the next 50 years.”

Dedicating the time capsule was one of the final steps for the commission marking the county’s 200 years of history, resilience and community spirit in 2025, extending into 2026, with a wide range of activities and events.

“I am convinced our past is the way to our future. I hope that in 2075 they’ll find what we did to help ingrain values in our heritage is something they will appreciate and be thankful for,” Scholz said. “We’re leaving a good legacy behind from the bicentennial effort.”

Plans call for placing five additional commemorative signs and plaques at sites across the county. Three of the markers have been approved including the Prairie Windmill in Golden and the Maplewood School site, now Central Elementary School in Camp Point.

Another marker for the 29th Colored Infantry, which formed in Quincy during the Civil War, will be placed at Bethel AME Church.

“That will pretty much wrap us up, then we’ll decommission the commission,” Scholz said. “It’s been three years. None of us had any idea it would be this much work, but that it would be such a gratifying experience.”