Members of Santa Barbara’s First Presbyterian Church found a sentimental surprise in the most unassuming of places— behind the paper towel dispenser in the women’s bathroom. Church staff unearthed a time capsule from 1999, removing the metal box from a gap behind a wall.
The capsule was intended to be opened in 2024, 25 years after its creation, but it was forgotten until a new administrator found directions to the hiding spot when combing through records. “It was kind of like a scavenger hunt, and it was in the women’s bathroom, of all places,” said Ann Conklin, the church’s pastor.
Cheryl Long recalled putting the time capsule together in 1999. The idea for a time capsule arose when the church underwent significant renovations and constructed a new fellowship center, completed that same year, she said.