A Bible that spent the last century in a time capsule in the Capitol's cornerstone is going back into the time capsule Missourians are now leaving for the next century.
That Bible is one of more than 30 items going into the new time capsule, for Missourians to see in 100 years and learn more about us.
During Friday afternoon's ceremonies rededicating the Capitol's cornerstone for its coming second century, Gov. Jay Nixon said he also is writing a letter for Missouri's governor to read in 2115.
"A part of my letter talks about the great river that flows past this Capitol on its 2,300-mile journey from the Rocky Mountains to where it joins the Mississippi, north of St. Louis," Nixon reported. "It's a river I see every day from the Governor's Office - and it's a sight that the governor 100 years from now will see from the office, as well."
Watching the river regularly has offered many lessons, the governor said, and his letter passes the things he's learned to his future successor.
"As captain of the state, I learned that the best way to move forward is to steer clear of the shoals of partisanship, and stay where the channel is deep and wide," Nixon explained. "I learned that, while it's always easier to go downstream than up, sometimes your conscience gives you no choice: you have to buck the current and fight to keep your chin above water.
"At every stage of this wonderful journey, I have been guided by the steadfast values that have shaped the character of the people of Missouri from its earliest days, and no doubt still do: hard work, optimism, faith and compassion.
"I know in my heart that Missouri will still be guided by those values in 100 years."
Also, his four-page proclamation announcing the items going into the new time capsule said the reason for including that old Bible is, it "represents the religious beliefs of many Missourians."
When state officials first announced last month that they would remove the 1915 time capsule from the Capitol's cornerstone and reveal its contents, they also said they would replace it with a new container and new items for people to view 100 years from now.
However, they said they were looking for a different location to place the 2015 time capsule.
On Friday, Commissioner of Administration Doug Nelson told the News Tribune that plan had changed.
"We're leaning right now to put it back where (the old one) was," Nelson reported. "I think that we were really surprised at how well the (1915) box held up with all the paper documents, and we really see no reason not to."
In his 10-minute address during Friday's ceremonies on the Capitol's South Lawn, Nixon told approximately 500 people the original time capsule contained "artifacts the leaders from the early 20th century wanted to be viewed in 100 years, to give us a glimpse into their times and culture.
"Today, we are carrying that legacy forward, as a time capsule from 2015 is being prepared to be opened 100 years from now."
Based on suggestions from Missourians, Nixon said, the new time capsule will also include:
• Chevrolet, Ford and GMC hood ornaments "that reflect how Missouri in 2015 is a leading producer of cutting-edge vehicles."
• An iPhone, to show "the technology that is advanced for our time."
• Packets of seeds, including non-GMO (genetically modified) Missouri heirloom seeds.
• A piece of Missouri coal, representing the source for 80 percent of the electricity we use today - but which likely won't be a source of fuel in the next century.
• A copy of an ACT college entrance test.
• A Missouri highways map.
• A book of state park trails.
• Baseballs, "autographed by the current members" of the St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals.
Nixon joked if the teams got into this year's World Series, he might reopen the time capsule to add other signed balls.
Also, he told reporters after Friday's ceremony, the baseballs weren't intended to slight Missouri's college or other professional sports teams, but instead represented a tie with a sport that also was popular in 1915.
• The 2011 obituary of Frank Buckles, who was 14 when the Capitol's cornerstone was laid - and was the last Missouri World War I veteran when he died.
• Copies of "some of the state's leading newspapers," including the News Tribune, that "not only will give a glimpse into the news of our day, but also carry on the tradition from the 1915 time capsule."
Also, what does Nixon hope the people of 2115 will remember about our era?
He repeated his comment about "deep Missouri values - hard work, perseverance, compassion - and that we're also very competitive people, and that's a good thing in this world."
Also, the governor added, society in 2015 is more inclusive than society was a century ago - when African-American Masons were excluded from the Cornerstone-laying ceremonies and the women who attended had not been allowed to vote for the bond issue that paid for the new Capitol.
"We're a better country and a better state because of the inclusiveness and bringing people together," Nixon told reporters, "and I think - hopefully, as we look forward - some of these definitions of difference will fall to the side and, instead, we'll find more areas where we can work together."
Historian Bob Priddy, who turns 74 later this month, served as master of ceremonies for Friday's event - and his coffee-table book on the Capitol's artworks is being included in the 2015 time capsule.
"I've written a note to put into the copy of my book," he said, "and it's really been difficult to try to figure out what to say to people 100 years from now.
"I try to think how exciting it would be to be here 100 years from now.
"I think we just all hope that the people 100 years from now still have the same hopes and dreams - except, they're better - and the grounds on which they base them are stronger.
"I hope that, 100 years from now, the people who attend a ceremony like this are healthier because we've eliminated a lot of diseases, that they're safer and they don't live in as much fear as this society does."