America’s Time Capsule, buried for America250, is scheduled to be opened in 2276.
The capsule is intended to connect the 250th anniversary in 2026 with the 500th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Two hundred fifty years after the America250 observance, the planned opening year will be 2276.
The capsule project reflects a long-term approach to historical memory. Instead of preserving only objects from the past, it asks people in the present to create a record for future Americans. Its planned location in Philadelphia connects it with the city where the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration.
The opening year can be confused with 2076, which marks the Declaration’s 300th anniversary, or 2176, which would mark 400 years. The 500th anniversary is the milestone that produces the 2276 date.