By Katie Stein, News Correspondent

Last week marked the reawakening of a long-dormant rumor – the existence of a time capsule located within the lion statue on Boston’s Old State House.

A 1901 Boston Globe article headlined “Lion and Unicorn: Copper Box to be Placed in Head of the King of Beasts” initiated the rumor. From the article’s second paragraph:  “The work of the coppersmith is completed, and one of the last things he did was to seal a copper box, which is placed in the head of the lion, and which contains contributions from state and city officials, the Boston daily newspapers, the name of the maker of the lion and unicorn, and others, which will prove interesting when the box is opened many years hence.”

It is unclear exactly how the capsule in question went unnoticed for so many years. Until just recently, many historians had never even heard the rumor. They believed speculators of the lion capsule were mistaking it for a capsule located within the grasshopper weather vane at Faneuil Hall.

“We didn’t know about the Globe article until several years ago,” Heather Leet, spokeswoman for the Bostonian Society, told the Boston Globe.

Upon the announcement that the statues would be taken down for maintenance, however, the 113-year-old myth suddenly sprang back to life. The Boston community was abuzz with speculation.

“We didn’t anticipate there would be such reaction to this project. But it is kind of a hoot that something like this has been hiding in plain sight for a hundred and some odd years,” Brian LeMay, executive director and president of the Bostonian Society, told Boston.com.

The statues were sent to Woburn’s Skylight Studios for examination. Conservator Robert Shure, using a fiber optic camera to examine the lion, maintained that there was indeed a copper box located within the lion’s head, according to the Globe. He estimated the box to be about the size of a shoebox. The inspection revealed that the box is soldered shut and that it is also attached to the lion’s head by copper straps.

 Shure hopes that by the end of the week, the box will be safely removed from the lion. An archivist will oversee the box’s recovery to examine the items’ condition and prevent any further deterioration.

 “We don’t want the newspapers to turn to dust,” Leet told the Globe on Tuesday, Sept. 23.

 The surviving items of the capsule are expected to go on display at the Old State House museum this fall. Because the contents’ condition remains a mystery, no official dates have been released regarding the items’ arrival at the museum. The fewer damages to the items, the sooner they will go on display.

 Leet announced that before the statues’ return to the Old State House, another time capsule will be placed inside the lion’s head. So far, the only confirmed items for the new capsule are copies of the 113-year-old items and a photo of Mayor Martin J. Walsh.

 The Bostonian Society is currently accepting ideas as to what else should go in the new capsule, all of which can be sent to their Facebook, email or Twitter using the hashtag #LionAndUnicorn.

Photo by Maria Amasanti