A Petoskey stone. A piece of copper. The official state gem.
Michigan has just room enough for a few items in the 3-foot-tall stainless steel cylinder that, in a few months, will be buried for the next 250 years.
The time capsule will be filled with contributions from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and five U.S. territories before it's buried on July 4, 2026, part of a celebration to mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
When it is unearthed in 2276, the hope is that these small artifacts will demonstrate Michigan's rich history and its impact on the country.
Jillian Reese, curator at the Michigan History Center, said Michiganders of the future can look at the objects as one small way to "understand who we are as a culture, where we come from, and let that inform where we're going in the future."
Michigan's contributions have now been several years in the making.
They were determined by a special commission -- America 250 MI -- created six years ago by the Historical Society of Michigan and the Michigan History Center, at the directive of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
The state commission is working with America250, a national, nonpartisan organization charged by Congress with heading up celebrations to mark the anniversary.
The group has described the time capsule project, one of several initiatives, as "once in a generation."
It will be buried at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia on July 4.
The time capsule has been engineered to withstand 250 years underground, according to America250 Chair Rosie Rios, who said the commission has worked with the country's top scientific and preservation experts.
Still, Reese said the state chose objects that "hopefully will still be there 250 years from now."
"The items they asked for were durable quality, non-reactive metal, stone, that kind of thing," said Reese, a co-chair of America250 MI.
Reese said the small size of the time capsule also limited what each state could put inside.
The items Michigan is submitting to go into the time capsule are:
1. A piece of float copper, meaning a chunk that was stripped from its original location by glaciers and slowly moved as the glaciers grew.
Reese said it's representative of Michigan history from 1.1 billion years ago to today, "whether it be Indigenous history or industrial history."
"Next to water, copper is one of our greatest natural resources," she said.
2. The Petoskey stone, Michigan's official state stone.
3. A piece of chlorastrolite, known more commonly as Isle Royale or Michigan greenstone, the state's gem.
4. An uncirculated 2004 Michigan quarter and an uncirculated 2018 Michigan quarter.
5. A copy of the governor's proclamation creating the commission, printed on archival-grade paper.
Michigan must still get its requested items approved, Reese said.
After a mid-March deadline to select its contributions, she said the items must be sent to the D.C. area by the end of April, leaving plenty of time before the capsule is buried on July 4.
Ahead of its burial, the capsule will be publicly displayed in Philadelphia in early July.
America250 is expected to reveal the final time capsule contents in the coming months. Initial confirmed contents include national sporting league memorabilia, student submissions, a handheld flag and items from Congress, the Supreme Court and the executive branch.
The New York Times reported some initial time capsule details, including one other state's contribution. Hawaii wants to include a letter to the future, written both in English and Hawaiian.
According to America250, the time capsule is part of a broader mission to engage 350 million people in the celebration.
Reese said the state received $10,000 from the national commission in 2023 to help fund its events and programs.
Michigan is also spearheading several initiatives to celebrate the country's 250th birthday.
Reese said commission members have been working on these projects since 2023.
They include a grant program, which was funded with $2 million from the state legislature given to the Department of Natural Resources and split between two rounds of awards.
The most recent round of grants totaling $1 million was announced in March, with funds going to 45 projects. They range from a Wayne County showcase of Ukrainian American contributions in Michigan to preserving Indigenous spaces in Charlevoix.
Grants were from anywhere from $2,500 to $50,000 and covered everything from programs and exhibits to preservation and capital improvements.
Reese said the goal was to maintain a low barrier to entry, allowing smaller and volunteer-run organizations to access some funds.
"We obviously have some of the best historical organizations in the country," she said, "but we also have a ton of great volunteer-run, smaller history organizations that have real deep community roots.
"A lot of times, national granting programs are kind of out of their reach," Reese added. "We're really excited that we were able to represent every type of history organization in the state of Michigan."
During the first round of awards, an additional 50-plus projects got grant funds.
Reese said this is the first time the state has ever appropriated money directly for history organizations.
Another focus of the state commission is a program guide for communities looking to commemorate the 250th anniversary at a more local level.
Reese said the goal is that every county in Michigan also has a 250th anniversary committee by July 4. So far the state has somewhere around 40.
The state will also participate in a July 8 public reading of the Declaration of Independence, a date marking the first reading of the Declaration publicly way back in 1776.
"The idea is that in communities big and small, there might be a place where members can go to read the Declaration of Independence," Reese said.
The commission has online access to copies of the Declaration in multiple languages, along with a toolkit for people who want to put on their own program.
"Every movement that has come out of the United States, whether it be the women's rights movement or the civil rights movement or the labor movement, [has] used the Declaration of Independence as an inspiration," Reese said.
Looking back at that point in history can remind Americans of the country's lofty founding ideals.
"I think it's really important to meditate on all of our achievements and all of the progress that has been made," she said, "but also the things that we can work towards and do better for."