Time capsules: bury keepsakes with a recovery plan.
A deliberate burial needs two plans: preserving the keepsakes and helping a future custodian recover them. Choose what to include, who will retain the private location record and when the capsule should be opened.
Consider an accessible, above-ground location
A stable indoor location can avoid some risks of underground water and forgetting the site. The Library of Congress notes that time capsules do not have to be buried and recommends stable storage conditions. Consider stewardship and inspection access before choosing burial.
Choose materials as a system
Review container durability, sealing and the conditions it will face. Keep incompatible items apart in suitable enclosures. Avoid assuming a general storage tube or a container sold as waterproof is conservation-tested for your contents or burial period.
Prepare contents and an inventory
Choose clean, stable items and document what you include. Use preservation-appropriate enclosures and keep an inventory outside the capsule too. Avoid putting your only copy of an irreplaceable record inside.
Keep a printed and offsite location record
Record the custodian, planned opening date, container, contents and placement. Keep a printed copy and another with a trusted steward away from the capsule. A metal detector cannot guarantee that a future capsule can be found.
Get consent before a recovery search
Seek landowner permission and use existing records first. If help is needed, request metal detecting assistance with an approximate area. Do not publish a private capsule location or address on a member listing.
Your private recovery record
Print a private recovery record — a blank two-page worksheet to complete and keep privately. Nothing is submitted or saved online.
Preservation references
Library of Congress: Making a Time Capsule — basic preservation guidance checked October 6, 2026; institutional projects need more specialized planning.
Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute: Time Capsules — additional conservation reference. Access was unavailable during this SSL check; it is not presented as newly inspected content.
SSL kits and a capsule registry are being evaluated. They are not available to purchase or save into a registry here. No lifespan, burial or recovery guarantee is offered.
Set up your SSL account and lockerKeep a recovery plan with the keepsake
Within SSL, a time capsule means keepsakes deliberately buried for later recovery. Plan who will maintain the location record, who may recover it and when. Keep precise position, land permission, contents, container details and the intended opening date in an owner-controlled private record outside SSL for now. Leave a copy with a future custodian and decide how changes in ownership will be handled. A detecting-assistance listing shares only an approximate search area when you deliberately publish it; it does not replace your private recovery plan or establish a persistent capsule registry.