Time capsule from 1962 found in cornerstone of Noblesville church
By STU CLAMPITT
On Tuesday afternoon, a time capsule from 1962 was opened in the cornerstone of the First Church of God located off Field Drive across from Noblesville East Middle School. Community members, including members of the 1962 congregation, gathered to open the time capsule and revisit the history of the church and of Noblesville.
The church was disbanded 12 years ago, and the property was purchased five years ago, initially for storage, and the land will now be used to construct the new Noblesville High School tennis facility.
Noblesville Schools Director of Communications Marnie Cooke told The Reporter she had heard rumors of a time capsule being present in the cornerstone. When it was found and opened on Tuesday, rumor became fact.
The First Church of God time capsule contained 1963 editions of the Noblesville Ledger newspaper, a Bible, a photo of the congregation’s even earlier location on Cherry Street, 1962 Church programs, and a typed history of the congregation. (Photo provided)
Betty Clark, 84, who was a congregant at the church when the time capsule was sealed and was present when it was opened, spoke to The Reporter about seeing some history from her youth.
“I was there but I didn’t remember what was inside,” Clark told The Reporter. “I was very young then.”
The First Church of God time capsule contained 1963 editions of the Noblesville Ledger newspaper, a bible, a photo of the congregation’s earlier location on Cherry Street, 1962 church programs, and a typed history of congregation.
“It brought back a lot of memories of when I started going to church,” Clark said. “I went to church, first of all, down on Cherry and 12th streets when they were down there. We sold that building and when they started building the new building on Field Drive, we had to do services in the old Noblesville Armory up there by the river on Logan Street.”
Clark said the time capsule also brought back a lot of memories of people who had donated to have the building constructed. When talking about both the Field Drive and the Cherry Street locations for the church and the kind of people who attended, Clark spoke about one family who the government thought was donating a bit too much.
Betty Clark and her two sons are shown here with Noblesville Schools Associate Superintendent Dave Mundy as he presents Clark with a hand-drawn and framed picture of the church found inside the building. (Photo provided)
“There were people there who were mostly living paycheck to paycheck and had a lot of kids,” Clark said. “I remember one family, the Bryants. She was a housekeeper at the hospital and he was a janitor at the armory. The IRS wanted to audit them because they claimed so much on their taxes as being given to the church, but to them it was just their tithe. It just shows you what kind of people there was that put a lot of time, money and heart into building the newer one up here on Field Drive.”
Clark attended the opening of the time capsule with and her two sons and one of her two daughters. She has another daughter who lives in Colorado and thus was unable to attend on Tuesday.
“On the dead end on 16th Street there used to be a two-story house,” Clark said. “That was where the pastor lived. After he moved to a different home, that building was turned into a place for Sunday school classes and we had Bible school over there. The church grew quite a bit and overflowed really, which is why we had to use the house for those classes. All my kids were dedicated to God at that church. They were married in that church. That place was just us.”
Photos provided