Century-old Salvation Army time capsule found in New Kensington

A Sept. 6, 1924 copy of The Daily Dispatch newspaper, featuring a front page story on the New Kensington Salvation Army, was contained in a Salvation Army time capsule dating from that year.

A photograph of the 24-member New Kensington Salvation Army Band was among the 11 items the Salvation Army placed in a time capsule in 1924. The capsule, which was opened in 1973 and relocated, was found on March 9,2023.

A Valley News Dispatch clipping dated Sept. 12, 1973 documents the opening and contents of the Salvation Army time capsule, which was removed from a cornerstone at its citadel at Fourth Avenue and Eighth Street as the organization prepared to move to the former First United Presbyterian Church at Fifth Avenue and 11th Street.

A damaged photo of the razing of the Salvation Army’s citadel on Fourth Avenue at Eighth Street in New Kensington dated April 30, 1974 was added to a 1924 Salvation Army time capsule in 1973.

A May 3, 1974 clipping from the Valley News Dispatch reports dedication ceremonies being planned for the Salvation Army’s new citadel at 1101 Fifth Ave. on May 18, 1974. The news clipping was added to a Salvation Army time capsule dating to 1924 that had been opened in 1973 and moved to the organization’s new home.

The New Kensington Salvation Army time capsule when it was removed from the cornerstone atop a sign outside New Ken Social on Thursday, March 9, 2023.