The America250 time capsule is scheduled to be unearthed in 2276.
The capsule was prepared for burial in Philadelphia during the United States Semiquincentennial, the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Its planned opening date is exactly 250 years after the 2026 anniversary.
That timing makes the capsule a message from the United States’ 250th anniversary to its 500th anniversary. The 2276 date is therefore not the year of the celebration itself; it is the intended future date for retrieving the capsule’s contents.
The capsule connects America250 with earlier national commemorations. The United States held a major centennial observance in 1876, a sesquicentennial exposition in 1926, and nationwide bicentennial celebrations in 1976. The 2026 capsule extends that commemorative tradition into the distant future.