Former Linton man curious about piece of history

One of the most important traits of living in a small town is the need to have an imagination to keep yourself entertained. As a former Linton man recently noted, the need for imagination in creating your own memories was even more important when he was growing up in Linton in the 1940s and 50s.

Donald Hurt -- who now lives in Houston, Texas -- graduated from Linton High School in 1956 and grew up in a house in northwest Linton. Hurt said he distinctly remembers one such memory and hopes sharing his story will prevent a piece of history from being accidentally destroyed.

Hurt provided me with a letter which details the story of a neighborhood coming together in the late 1940s or early 1950s to create a time capsule to capture the moment in time where neighbors were friends and no internet meant finding unique ways to make memories for generations to come.

“When I was in Linton last September, several houses on (the) street have been torn down and several more are in very poor condition. So my hope is that someone can locate this piece of history before it is busted up in the rubble of a demolished house and hauled off to a dump some where never to be found again,” Hurt said, as to why he is now sharing this story.

With Hurt’s permission, I will be using excerpts from his letter to share the story.

The story started with a neighbor who was fixing up his front porch, but before he poured the new cement steps, he asked neighbors to contribute to a time capsule which was placed in the cement.

“Bob Jackson, or as all the neighbors called him ‘JP Jackson’ came up with the idea of putting a ‘time capsule’ in the steps and then pour the cement around the lead box which he provided. JP Jackson went up and down both sides of (the) street collecting things of interest and/or value that could be put into this time capsule. Among other things were coins minted the year of the time capsule, the copy of the Linton Daily Citizen printed on that date. I remember almost everyone gave some little something. Even we kids gave up a small toy that we individually cherished at the time,” Hurt recalled.

Hurt said as he drove down the street where he grew up, he said he was overwhelmed by the fact the area which once housed a “thriving blue collar, working class neighborhood” had deteriorated, but he also wondered if anyone ever found that time capsule filled with the items from his childhood.

“I know this is private property and you cannot demand the property owners do anything about the capsule. But there must be someone in Linton interested enough in the history that would take on the project of taking these steps apart, collecting the historical contents and then replacing the steps for the current owner,” Hurt said.

Does anyone remember the time capsule and what was placed inside? I’d like to hear from anyone who remembers the placement of this piece of history. If you or your family contributed, what did you place inside?

Sabrina is the editor of the Greene County Daily World. She can be reached at sabrinagcdw@gmail.com or by calling 812-847-4487.