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All the United States Washington, D.C. MLK Time Capsule at Freedom Plaza
AO Edited

MLK Time Capsule at Freedom Plaza

Beneath unsuspecting visitors feet, a capsule containing pieces of America’s civil rights history.

Washington, D.C.

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Blythe Roberson , Harrison Watkins
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The aluminum time capsule was buried under Freedom Plaza in 1988.   Carol Highsmith, Library of Congress
Western Plaza, a wide space on Pennsylvania Avenue, was renamed Freedom Plaza in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., Washington, D.C.   Carol Highsmith, Library of Congress
Freedom plaza is designed to show L’Enfant’s original plans for the city map.   Ron Cogswell
Workers lower a time capsule containing some of the belongings of Martin Luther King, Jr., who worked on his “I Have a Dream” speech in the nearby Willard Hotel.   Carol Highsmith, Library of Congress
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With a clear view down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol and a location just a few blocks from the White House, Freedom Plaza is a popular place for tourists and protestors alike. But casual visitors may not know that they’re walking on top of buried history.

The open stone plaza at 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest was called Western Plaza when it was dedicated in 1980. But in 1988, it was given a new name in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., who finished writing his famous “I Have A Dream” speech at the nearby Willard Hotel. A few lines from the 1963 speech were engraved at the plaza: “Let freedom ring from every hill...from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

A time capsule in King’s memory was also buried underneath the plaza, to be opened in 2088. Its contents include a bible that belonged to Dr. King, a robe he wore to preach in, and audio recordings of his speeches. The capsule itself is an aluminum cylinder that weighs 500 pounds. Also included in the capsule is an American flag with 51 stars, in the hopes that by 2088, Washington, D.C. will be recognized as a state.

While visitors have decades to wait before the time capsule is again visible, there’s much to see at Freedom Plaza in the meantime. The stones of the plaza are engraved with the original maps of Washington, D.C. as planned by Pierre Charles L’Enfant in 1791. Also inscribed are quotations about the District from various historical figures, including from King himself: “There are two Washingtons—political Washington and the real Washington made up of friends and neighbors.”

Related Tags

Black History Time Capsule Martin Luther King Civil Rights

Know Before You Go

Freedom Plaza is an open plaza near the White House lawn, open to the public.

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blytheroberson, heshsf

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mocchiatto

  • mocchiatto

Published

April 27, 2023

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  • https://www.nps.gov/places/000/freedom-plaza.htm
  • https://www.downtowndc.org/go/freedom-plaza/
  • https://twitter.com/councilofdc/status/1083951974532435968/photo/2
  • https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2011634215/
  • https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2014/10/03/there-are-time-capsules-buried-all-over-d-c/
MLK Time Capsule at Freedom Plaza
1325 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, District of Columbia, 20004
United States
38.895839, -77.030764
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