Time capsule reveals 1936 Atlantic City

ATLANTIC CITY - The sepia photograph depicts a very young John Harrold, the first postman to deliver mail along this resort's unpaved sand streets. He looks like a dapper Santa Claus, burdened with a sack of letters and packages.

On April 4, 1936, Harrold was there when the cornerstone for the new post office was set in place, along with a time capsule that would include the daguerreotype taken in the 1880s when he first joined the postal service.

The contents of that long-hidden time capsule, unearthed recently during the demolition of the now-old post office at the corner of Pacific Avenue and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard (formerly Illinois Avenue), were revealed Tuesday by local historians and officials from the state Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA).

"We thought what was inside would be mush when we opened it up," said Heather Halpin Perez, an Atlantic City Free Public Library archivist, who helped open the capsule about 10 days ago. "Instead we were able to get a glimpse of what Atlantic City was like back then, a peek at the people who lived here and what they were about."

Hints came from architect Howard A. Stout's listing of deeds for the property dating to 1874; a note from Harry Bacharach, then president of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities; a letter from U.S. Sen. A. Harry Moore, who had served three terms as governor of New Jersey; and a congratulatory letter from state Supreme Court Justice Joseph B. Perskie, grandfather of Steven P. Perskie, a recently retired Superior Court judge and former state senator. Also inside was a souvenir program from Atlantic City's semicentennial in 1904.

Buried the day newspaper headlines screamed that convicted Lindbergh baby kidnapper Bruno Hauptmann had been executed, the time capsule, made of copper, showed the verdigris of age. It was removed during the building's demolition to make way for the widening of MLK Boulevard, a project being funded by the CRDA. A new post office opened about a year ago several blocks away.

In a the-more-things-change-the-more-they-stay-the-same twist in a city plagued by recent corruption scandals, the 1936 newspaper stories included one about a parks commissioner stealing money meant as a state refund for the resort's jitney fleet. Stories also heralded the arrival of tourists in the annual Palm Sunday migration.

Though yellowed with time, the ephemera inside the time capsule remained intact. The craftsmen who soldered together the copper box did an exemplary job sealing out what would be 74 years' worth of Shore moisture.

Historians knew the capsule existed from information found in newspapers and other documents from the era, Perez said.

"It was found right where it was supposed to be, but it was a bit of a challenge to remove it because it was contained in an area that was taken down during the last stage of development," said Susan Ney Thompson, chief operating officer of the CRDA.

In addition to the time capsule, many of the architecturally significant and historically valuable components of the former post office have been retained, Thompson said, including ornate light fixtures, concrete eagles, and metal grillwork. The pieces will likely be used in future construction projects.

The library will take custody of the time capsule contents and create an exhibit of some of the items at its facility on Tennessee Avenue.

"It's all part of the history of Atlantic City," Thompson said.

While funding a variety of residential and commercial developments statewide over the last 25 years with the investment of more than $1.8 billion, CRDA also has helped preserve such Atlantic City historic landmarks as the Absecon Lighthouse, Dante Hall, the Carnegie Library, and Boardwalk Hall, Thompson said.

In remarks Tuesday, CRDA Chairman James B. Kehoe placed the financial strife of 1936 in context with the current economic downturn. He noted that Theodore Roosevelt had once said that a man "would not be a good citizen if he did not know of Atlantic City."

"Roosevelt was right," Kehoe said. "As good citizens, we must remember that in 1936, our city and our nation was in the depths of the Great Depression. The good citizens of the day were building; they were investing in the future of Atlantic City even during some dark days."

Since 1936, Atlantic City has had its share of ups and downs and currently finds itself in the midst of economic difficulties, Kehoe said.

"Our job at CRDA is to take the long view of history and to reinvest and reinvent in Atlantic City," Kehoe said.