Somewhere under the ground of the Ohio Expo Center − home of the Ohio State Fair − is a large box containing a corded phone, a polka-dot bikini and a white tennis shoe.
The time capsule, buried in 1976, would give Ohioans today a glimpse into what life was like at the United States’ Bicentennial. But 50 years later, nobody can find it.
Sitting at the dining table of her retirement home, now-87-year-old Sandra Hess − who worked as a coordinator for the Ohio Expo Commissioners Office at the time − recalled folding her then-teenage daughter’s bathing suit and writing the name of her then-teenage son, Michael Bartley, in permanent marker on the inside of the shoe before placing both items into the large crate.
After reading about a new time capsule being put together at the upcoming 2026 Ohio State Fair, Hess began to wonder about the state of the capsule she was partially responsible for curating 50 years ago. As she tried to remember additional details, she wrote notes in her planner in slanted cursive. She and now-63-year-old Bartley called the office of the fair only to find that the crate’s location had been lost to time.
“We were incredibly disappointed that after hours and weeks of searching, we were unable to locate the time capsule buried in 1976,” a spokesperson for the Ohio Expo Center said.
Hess said she thinks it’s unbelievable that something so large and important could be completely lost, and she has faith they will find it eventually.
“I do not get this at all,” Hess said. “Nobody else would have dug it up. Nobody. I mean, they could have, but they would have known that it’s an important part of the fair’s history. They would have left it.”
In her role as a coordinator, Hess − a single mother of three − was responsible for receiving guests of the commissioners, distributing their tickets to various events at the Expo Center and general organization of the office, including coordinating items for the capsule. She smiled as she remembered working under then-Gov. James Rhodes, meeting performers like Johnny Cash and watching her children running around the fairgrounds.
A monument was placed to note the location of the capsule near the 11th Avenue Gate, close to the location of the new Ohio Children’s Carousel, but when a search was done underneath the marker, nothing was found.
The Expo Center also used ground detecting radar technology to scan the area around the original location, but to no avail. The spokesperson said they’ve ended their search and concluded that construction over the last 50 years likely damaged the capsule and removed it from the area.
History documents maintained by the Ohio Expo Center state that a time capsule was buried near that entrance, now known as the OHIO Gate. The document says that it also contains coins and stamps, gear from Ohio sports teams, a T-shirt and Levi’s. The Columbus Dispatch also reported in 1976 that the box, which was described as “coffin-sized,” was located inside the 11th Avenue gate.
Both Hess and Bartley were present along with about 15 other people when the capsule itself was buried, but they have different ideas of the exact location. Hess said she remembers the capsule being buried near the 11th Avenue Gate, but both of her sons say they remember it being buried in front of the commissioner’s office.
At the time, the commissioner’s office was located in a temporary building, and when looking at aerial photos of the fair from the 60s, Hess was unable to identify its coordinates.
Hess went with her son recently to meet with managers from the Ohio State Fair, where they discussed places it could be located, what could’ve happened to it and the records the Expo Center has of its existence, which are “incredibly sparse,” according to a director of the event.
Bartley said over the last 50 years, he never forgot about the time capsule and hoped he would get to see it back above ground when the time came to dig it up.
“I didn’t think I’d be alive in 50 years when they were going to open it,” Bartley said. “It’s always been in the back of my mind, looking forward to opening that back up and seeing the things we put in.”
Considering his mother’s age and how excited she was about it being dug up, Bartley said he hopes they continue to search for the box.
“I’m sort of irritated, frankly,” he said. “My mom is 87, and the last one living that I can think of who was part of the fair or commission. I would think it would’ve been memorialized somehow, but I guess not.”
While Hess said she thinks the fair has changed drastically in the last 50 years, Bartley said he doesn’t see much of a difference in the grand scheme of things. He doesn’t go as much anymore but remembers it being magical when he was a kid with free reign over the venue.
“I thought it was the greatest place on earth,” he said. “Especially since we got perks since my mom was involved. We got to sit up front on all the concerts. We got spoiled.”
Another time capsule is set to be sealed Aug. 4 and kept above ground at the Ohio State Fair, to be opened in another 50 years at the nation’s 300th anniversary. It will include items like coins, a flag that flew over the Ohio Statehouse, Crocs with Jibbitz, air pods and jerseys from multiple Ohio sports teams.
Dispatch reporter Lilli Malone can be reached at lmalone@dispatch.com or on Instagram at @lillimwrites.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: She buried artifacts in a 1976 time capsule. The Ohio State Fair can’t find it
Reporting by Lilli Malone, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Lilli Malone, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
