Twelve years ago, during the construction of his family’s new home and business, a Teviotdale youth was inspired to add something unusual to the build.
After hearing about friends finding coins from the late 1800s during home renovations, Tyler Redpath thought a time capsule containing coins would be an interesting way to capture the year his family’s home was built.
In April of 2003, the then 12-year-old compiled the contents of a time capsule in hope that sometime in the future the house would be under renovations and the owner would enjoy a flash back in time.
Inside a Mason jar Redpath included the front pages of the April 18, 2003 editions of The Wellington Advertiser and The Community News, various coins, his Grade 6 school picture, photos of the house under construction, an 2002 aerial photograph of Teviotdale and a letter addressed to the person who finds the capsule.
“The letter contained information about my family, our interests, where family members are buried in the Harriston and Listowel cemeteries, the family business (motorcycle and archery shop) and the businesses in Teviotdale,” Redpath explained.
“At that time there were 10 houses, the truck stop/restaurant, butcher shop, farm equipment dealer and outdoor furniture sales centre. I asked whoever found the letter to try and find my descendants or me if I’m still alive.”
Construction crews were asked to bury the time capsule in the wall of Redpath’s bedroom. Seven years later, in August of 2010, the family sold the home and business.
They had no way of knowing, of course, that the Aug. 2 tornado that struck Teviotdale earlier this summer would cause massive devastation to the home, with the worst damage to Redpath’s former bedroom.
“We were concerned for the Webers, the current owners of the home. After inquiring about the family and finding they were not home during the storm, we felt a sense of relief,” said Redpath’s mother Marion.
The community rallied around the Weber family and the cleanup began quickly. Salvageable items were sorted and hauled away and the site was prepared for a re-building effort. During the cleanup, Erma Weber, current owner of the home, called the Redpath family.
“Erma told us one of the volunteers on the cleanup crew had found the time capsule intact,” said Marion.
“Due to the number of volunteers, she did not know where the capsule was found or who found it. My family was delighted with the News.”
Redpath, now living in Toronto, said he “assumed the capsule would have been smashed to pieces.”
In an interview at his family’s home outside Teviotdale, he said, “Even though the time capsule didn’t serve its purpose for someone in the future, it was a blast from the past for me. A reminder of my rural roots and the community I came from.”
Asked what he plans to do with the capsule, Redpath said he isn’t sure but he thinks it is a good keepsake. Considering the story behind it could be shared with future generations of his family.
