John Murray and his construction crews were renovating a 1950s home in Phoenix, Arizona when they accidentally made a stunning discovery.
Out from the wall insulation appeared an old family photograph; an unseen handwritten letter; notes on the political climate and pop culture references of the 60s.
John and his crew stumbled upon a bona fide time capsule dated September 27, 1966. "We've done hundreds of houses, but never found anything like this," he said.
The capsule was hidden in the walls by Betty Klug, who was 33 years old at the time. She never told anyone, not even her husband Bruce. But 10 years later, Betty died tragically in a car accident.
Bruce, who still had no idea of the buried treasure, ending up selling the house and moving to another town.
Nearly 50 years after Betty planted her time capsule in the walls, she was about to deliver to Bruce a message from beyond the grave…
In spring 2014, John Murray and his construction crews were gutting a 1950s home in Phoenix, Arizona.
John expected a normal day of construction. After all, he and his guys had done hundreds of projects just like this one.
So, you can imagine their surprise when the crew accidentally stumbled upon a stunning discovery, frozen in time.
Laying on the floor, half-buried in a pile of old wall insulation, was a time capsule.
It had been created by a previous inhabitant of the four-bedroom house.
Curious, John began exploring and pulled out a collection of old photos and handwritten letters.
"We've done hundreds of houses, but never found anything like this," John told KPNX.
The time capsule was a gift from Betty Klug, who kept it hidden but intended for her husband, Bruce.
It was dated September 27, 1966.
Betty was 33 years old at the time.
Bruce had no idea Betty had left behind the treasure in the walls of their home.
10 years after she planted the capsule in the walls, Betty died in a car crash.
Bruce sold the house in the 80s and moved away.
Here are excerpts from one of Betty's handwritten letters:
The Vietnam War is still going on. Racial situation very serious. Boys have long hair resulting from the Beatle craze.
Lyndon Johnson is president. We are hopeful that the Republicans will be in office when this time capsule is recovered.
Barry Goldwater (Republican candidate for president) lives on top of the hill with the big T.V. antenna. (N.W. bedroom view.)
Instead of brushing off or discarding his discovery, John did the unthinkable…
With the help of KPNX news, John tracked Bruce down in an effort to return Betty's time capsule.
The pair met for the exchange outside a local coffee shop.
Bruce, who now lives in Scottsdale, Arizona and is in his eighties, was blown away.
He also realized Betty wrote him one of the letter son his 31st birthday as a gift.
"We had the best marriage," Bruce told KPNX with tears in his eyes. "Not once did we argue about anything."
In the end, John said Betty's time capsule taught him a valuable lesson in appreciating those we love.
It's an incredible thing that Betty was finally able to deliver to Bruce his belated birthday gift. If you agree, please SHARE this with your friends on Facebook!
