During the ongoing demolition of Pawtucket, R.I.'s former McCoy Stadium to prepare the site for the new Pawtucket High School construction, the building team led by Shawmut Design and Construction in Boston identified a small time capsule enclosed in the stadium's original cornerstone.
The capsule was carefully removed from the cornerstone and will be opened during an unveiling ceremony set for June 23, 2025, the 44th anniversary of the conclusion of the longest professional baseball game ever played, which occurred at McCoy Stadium.
As previously reported by The Valley Breeze, that particular capsule is believed to contain a copy of the program from the Pawtucket Sesquicentennial Cotton Celebration (1740-1940), marking the 150th anniversary of the American cotton-textile industry, as well as a dedication letter.
Construction and demolition workers are continuing to look for a second time capsule that contains items commemorating the marathon baseball game that former Pawtucket Red Sox management and players believe is buried somewhere between the former stadium's home plate and pitcher's mound.
If found in time, the contents of that second time capsule also will be unveiled at the planned June 23 event.
"Eighty-five years ago, a time capsule was placed into the cornerstone of McCoy Stadium, and today that piece of the stadium's long and proud history has been found," said Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien. "We are excited to unveil the contents of this time capsule, and hopefully another rumored McCoy time capsule, at a ceremony honoring the stadium's history."
Two Pawtucket High Schools to Be Combined Into One
When the $326 million school is completed, likely in December 2028, according to the Pawtucket School Department, it will move students from both Tolman Senior High School and Shea Senior High to the new, unified campus. Its designs call for a transformative 375,000-sq.-ft. learning space for approximately 2,100 high schoolers.
In addition, Pawtucket High will offer programs geared to academic, career and technical education, as well as feature a "marketplace" for community engagement.
Along with Shawmut Design and Construction, the building team includes Colliers Project Leaders, which has an office in Providence; and Boston-based Jonathan Levi Architects.
"The Shawmut team has approached the demolition of McCoy Stadium to make way for the new Pawtucket High School with the utmost safety and precision, balancing progress with a deep respect for the site's historic significance and the potential to uncover meaningful artifacts," said Chris Maury, Shawmut's head of preconstruction for Rhode Island. "It was an exciting moment for our team to discover, identify and carefully preserve the capsule found in the stadium's original cornerstone. We're continuing to search for the second rumored time capsule and have deployed ground-penetrating radar technology to support this effort. We remain committed to a safe, respectful process every step of the way."
Pawtucket City Council President Terrence Mercer, whose District 3 includes the site of the future high school, said, "As someone who grew up next to McCoy and enjoyed so many Paw Sox games and memories, I'm, of course, sad to see the stadium being demolished, but also thrilled that it will soon be home to our new Pawtucket High School. I'm pleased that this time capsule has been found and preserved so it can be shared with future generations of Pawtucket residents as a reminder of the stadium's proud history."
According to a Pawtucket Times article, the capsule was placed into the cornerstone of the Hammond Pond Stadium on Nov. 3, 1940, by Pawtucket Mayor Thomas McCoy as part of a ceremony for that construction project.
"The demolition of the former McCoy Stadium is paving the way for the future of Pawtucket students as we prepare to start construction on our new Pawtucket High School," said School Committee Chairperson Omar Reyes. "Finding this time capsule is a reminder of the stadium's long and proud history, a history that will be incorporated into our new high school for future generations of students to cherish and learn from."
Further details about the June 23 time capsule unveiling event will be shared soon, the school system said. The recovered time capsule is currently being held in a secure location by the Pawtucket Police Department.
Meanwhile, the demolition of the former McCoy Stadium is anticipated to be completed by the end of May 2025, according to The Valley Breeze, published in nearby Lincoln, R.I.
