Time capsule’s delayed opening offers a glimpse into the Iron Range past

VIRGINIA, MINN. – More than 100 years ago, residents of this Iron Range city packed a copper box with signs of the time — a small black Bible, a decorative medal given to those who had served in the Great War, newspapers and mementos from local member lodges — into the cornerstone of the Virginia Recreation Building.

Decades later, that hockey and curling hub became a shirt factory and then the Northland Office Building, a county government office. The building, which was on the National Registry of Historic Places, was demolished — and the time capsule retrieved — about five years ago as part of a project to build the energy-efficient Government Services Center that now stands next to it.

On Tuesday afternoon, St. Louis County officials hosted a long-delayed grand-opening for the now only newish building and the copper box that has long sat, unopened, in Commissioner Keith Nelson’s office — waiting for a moment like this.

“Nobody knows what’s in it,” Nelson said in the lead-up to the unveiling, not even touching the box until the designated opening time.

The Government Services Center became operational, with staff and services, as well as detours to avoid ongoing construction, in 2019; the Northland Office Building went down soon after and the land turned into a parking lot. Plans for a traditional grand opening were thwarted by COVID-19, then stalled again during another surge of the virus.

Nelson approached the county staff at the end of last year about that copper box still in his office.

The County Board took advantage of a morning meeting scheduled in Virginia to add on the event — which drew a roomful of people to the Government Services Center, including dozens of sixth-grade Minnesota history students from Virginia’s North Star Elementary School.

Principal Scott Manni said it’s critical that young people learn their history.

“What better a way than to have the future of this town meet the past?” he said.

Mayor Larry Cuffe and Nelson’s granddaughter Bryn Stefanich, 12, both wearing gloves and protective eyewear, took small saws to the exterior of the time capsule. The top was peeled back like a can of sardines.

They took turns revealing the contents, last seen July 19, 1925: an amended city charter from 1914, a city handbook, the ninth annual report for the water and light commission, a copy of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution for the state of Minnesota, a coin, a list of all the then-current churches and pastors, the roster for the American Legion and more.

The items were laid out on a folding table for viewing and will be displayed at the center.

The $19 million Government Services Center was under construction for 16 months, resulting in a two-story building high on energy efficiency and Iron Range visuals. Tony Mancuso, a retired St. Louis County property management director who was at the forefront of the project, described it as “nothing leading edge, but a little bit cutting edge.”

“The goal of this building was to try to flatten out the energy consumption of the building and flatten out the maintenance costs of the building and get the longest life cycle we could out of the building,” he said.

The 63,000-square-foot facility has a super-insulated shell, high-performance windows and a south-facing solar wall. It has a white roof to help with air conditioning and a ground-source heat pump system.

“It’s about one and a half times the size of the Northland Building and uses two-thirds less energy,” Mancuso said. “So that was a win.”

The rooftop solar panels take care of about half of the electricity consumed within the building, Mancuso said, describing it as “high-life cycle” and a “high performer.”

Regional art is showcased throughout, including terrazzo floors decorated with river and fish scenes, and an outdoor mural by artist Paul LaJeunesse that pays homage to the historic building that stood here and the things important to the community: mining, hockey, the environment and more.

All in all, it was the medal awarded to Virginia’s war veterans, tucked into the box, that really snagged the longtime capsule-keeper’s attention. The ribbon a rainbow; the medal with World War Service imprinted on a scroll.

“That made my whole day, week, month,” Nelson said.