‘1887 time capsule found’ in base of controversial General Lee statue

Workers install scaffolding as they prepare to remove the pedestal that once held the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee on Monument Avenue Monday Dec 6, 2021, in Richmond, Va. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam ordered the pedestal removed and the land granted to the City of Richmond. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Crews working to remove the pedestal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee believe they have found a time capsule buried there in 1887.

The massive bronze equestrian statue of Lee, erected in Richmond, Virginia, in 1890, was taken down in September, more than a year after state governor Ralph Northam ordered its removal.