SLIDESHOW: Workers discover forgotten time capsule at Indiana Dunes National Park

PORTER COUNTY, Ind. -- Indiana Dunes State Park officials announced Thursday morning that crews rehabilitating one of the park's lodges found a rusty copper box in the foundation. When the box was opened, crews were astounded to see its contents were over 80 years old.

"It was an unexpected find by a contractor with Berglund Construction, within Indiana Dunes National Park's historic Good Fellow Lodge," park officials said. "On the afternoon of Sept. 23, as rehabilitation work funded through the Great American Outdoors Act was underway, a heavily oxidized and sealed copper box was discovered in foundation of the lodge, A hidden Time Capsule of history had been uncovered."

After looking through some of the items, it was determined the original construction company -- the Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corporation -- had put the contents in the box and placed it under the final stone forming the foundation of the lodge on Jan. 18, 1941.

"Inside the box was a piece of folded tar infused construction paper with items wrapped carefully inside," park officials said. "The contents were a small silk 48-star American Flag, which was carefully wrapped around several paper documents including a Memorandum, speech, Deed, and newspaper articles for the day, all placed behind the last stone that was laid in the lodge's foundation."

The Memorandum from the Illinois Steel Company Welfare Association of Gary reads in part:

On this day, January 18, 1941, at 2:30 P.M., Mr. E. Earl Moore, Vice President in charge of Industrial Relations, Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa., laid in place the last stone forming the foundation wall of the Administration Building at the Gary Works Good Fellow Club Youth Camp and in so doing sealed in the wall the container in which this document and other mementos of the occasion are found.

In the year of our Lord 1940 under the inspiration and guidance of Mr. Moore the Illinois Steel Company Welfare Association, with the sponsorship of the Gary Works Good Fellow Club, acquired the property and initiated the construction of this Youth Camp for the purpose of promoting the health, welfare and happiness of the children of the employees of Carnegie-Illinois Steel Company's Gary Works and of such other children in the community as may be accommodated from time to time by the camp facilities. The building in the wall of which this memorandum is found, is the first permanent building to be erected for the camp.

The Carnegie Steel Company was sold in 1901 to U.S. Steel, a newly formed organization set up by J. P. Morgan and the name of the subsidiary was changed to the Carnegie-Illinois Steel Company in 1936.

"Indiana Dunes National Park plans to put the items on display in the near future," park officials said.

For more information on Indiana Dunes National Park, check out their website, call 219-395-1882, download the official National Park Service app, or view their Facebook page.