Crane and workers removing the top acorn weathervane of the Boott Mill clock tower
On July 3, 1990, during the removal of the Boott Cotton Mills weathervane, workers made a surprising discovery: hidden within the gold acorn atop the weathervane was a secret time capsule!  A time capsule is a container filled with everyday objects that represent a certain moment in time that is hidden away for people to discover in the future. 
In 1919, two workers doing construction for the mill decided to sneak their time capsule inside the acorn. They documented how many people were working in the mills, details of their daily lives, and the current events of that year.
The 1919-time capsule (tube) and the page that was inside.
After the 1919 time capsule was discovered in 1990, historians and curators studies its contents. When we look at the lists that people created long ago, we discover the simple things — like past current events or aspects of daily life — gain new meaning years later. 
As the 1990 construction was being completed, workers created a new time capsule and placed it in the restored gold acorn for future generations to discover.
You can participate in preserving history by documenting and capturing your own story, or the story of the world around you, by building your own time capsule! 
The acorn time capsule and weathervane after its restoration.
Your time capsule might include something you’ve written, in addition to objects, photos, newspaper clips, and anything else you think will help document what life is like today. Ask yourself: What do I want to communicate to the people who will open this in the future? How far in the future will my time capsule be opened? What current events do you want them to know about? What do you want the future to know about you?
Once you have assembled your contents, it’s time to design your time capsule! 
Boott Mill clock tower with top acorn weathervane.
Find a container – it could be a shoe box, a plastic container, anything with a lid. Begin by writing your inscription, something that refers to who made the time capsule and what year it was assembled. Something like: “Sealed in _[month]_    _[year]_ by   __[your name]___.” Then decorate the rest of the container. 
Put the contents in side, close the container, and seal it with tape.  Talk to an adult about where you should keep your time capsule so it can be found by people in the future.
Just like that you have documented and preserved your story for future generations!