America’s Time Capsule, created for the U.S. semiquincentennial, is scheduled to be opened in 2276.
The capsule is part of the national commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. It is scheduled to be buried in Philadelphia on July 4, 2026, the anniversary date being celebrated by America250.
The planned opening date is exactly 250 years after the burial. That timing would coincide with the 500th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the United States’ planned tricentennial-era observances. The capsule is intended to preserve a record of the United States for a distant future audience.
The project can be confused with the 1976 Bicentennial time capsule, which is associated with the earlier 200th-anniversary commemoration. The America250 capsule belongs specifically to the 2026 semiquincentennial program and is scheduled for Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia.