New time capsule placed in pedestal of former Confederate monument

Crews remove one of the country’s largest remaining monuments to the Confederacy, a towering statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia (Steve Helber/AP)

Workers at the site in Virginia’s capital where a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee was taken down installed a new time capsule within the statue’s massive pedestal, after efforts to locate an 1887 capsule were suspended.

The capsule’s installation, which a state government official confirmed was completed Saturday morning, contains remembrances of current events, including those related to Covid-19 and protests over racial injustice.