(Reuters) – Historic preservation experts opened Wednesday’s time capsule, believed to be from 1887. The capsule was encased inside the pedestal of a Confederate general Robert E. Lee statue that once stood in Richmond.

The state’s Department of Historic Resources conservators caught a glimpse of textile and paper materials in the lead boxes when they opened one corner of it after hours of tedious scraping.

The experts were not able to determine how long the capsule would take them to un-seal. This was revealed on Friday.

According to Northam’s office, historians claim that the statue pedestal was home to an approximately 60-piece time capsule.

According to the governor’s office, the capsule was opened in 1887. However, state conservators stated that they weren’t certain if Wednesday’s capsule was indeed the one with the 60 objects. The original box described by the governor as having slightly smaller dimensions than the current one.

Monument Avenue is Richmond’s new memorial to Lee. It was once the capital of the Pro-Slavery Confederacy. This group included Southern states which fought in the Civil War 1861-65 against Union forces.

Following a lengthy legal battle lasting over a year, the six-story statue was finally removed from its base. According to activists, the monument glorified racism in the South and was the focal point of protests against racial inequality. Supporters of Confederate symbols and monuments should be kept because they are meant to honor Southern history and those who gave their lives for the cause.

Northam is a Democrat and announced his plans to take down the statue in June 2020. This was 10 days after George Floyd, a black Minneapolis cop, was shot dead by a police officer. The incident sparked nationwide protests.

While disassembling the pedestal which once housed the statue, crews found the time capsule.

According to the Department of Historic Resources of the State, the lead-box was discovered about 20 feet high above ground. Inside, it contained a block of granite weighing 1,500 lbs.