An almanac, a silver coin and a cloth envelope were among the intriguing artifacts found in the box...

In September of this year, after more than a year of protest and legal struggles, workers in Richmond, Virginia, took down the towering 19th-century statue of Robert E. Lee, the last of six controversial Confederate memorials to be removed from the city’s Monument Avenue. A time capsule dated to 1887 was subsequently discovered in the statue’s pedestal—and on Wednesday, following five hours of delicate work by historic preservation experts, the lead box was pried open, revealing a curious assortment of artifacts.

Among the items preserved in the 134-year-old capsule were a British silver coin, an 1875 almanac, three books and a cloth envelope, according to the Associated Press. A letter and a photograph of James Netherwood, a stonemason who worked on the statue’s pedestal, was also uncovered, reports Eduardo Medina for the New York Times.