Roy Patton found out history got a little wet while buried under the sidewalk on Washington Street for about 25 years.

ATHENS-Yesterday (Wednesday, Sept. 11) Public Works reached Hendricks-Patton-RANCL on the sidewalk renovation project. Roy’s family operates the store, and Roy found the time capsule he buried 25 years ago (a container from his wife’s kitchen) with a little money and some wet notes about family history inside. One note said he buried the capsule during the last sidewalk project on Nov 3, 1994, and that he was burying it 4 month prior to the birth of his twins.

Today, Roy and his father Bucky Patton, buried two time capsules in air tight pipe containers wrapped in plastic. Downtown merchants, City Hall, City Schools and Limestone Commission submitted letters or business cards or pictures for the capsules. The Mayor’s Office included a bicentennial coin. Bennett’s included a gift certificate that states it will be honored if the store is still open when the capsules are uncovered.