The lead capsule sealed inside the original Gahanna Lincoln High School nearly a century ago held more than old paper. It held a roster of students whose descendants still live in the community, and records of a legal fight most residents have never heard of.
Gahanna Historical Society President Kari Hawk said many of the family names on the 1927 student list belong to families still rooted in Gahanna. The society plans to formally unveil the capsule and its contents at its Sept. 8 meeting, giving neighbors a chance to see the artifacts and possibly spot a family connection.
As we reported Aug. 3, construction crews found the capsule when they knocked down the final wall of Building B during demolition of the old high school. Superintendent Dr. Tracey Deagle contacted the Historical Society and officially entrusted the capsule to the group for preservation and cataloging, according to a Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools announcement.
What's inside
The lead capsule contained paper documents and newspaper clippings. Among them: a list of all the students who needed the new school in 1927, and documents detailing a controversy over where the building was placed.
The papers are fragile.
The Historical Society is working to find a way to preserve them, and according to Hawk, the contents reveal a piece of local history that had largely been forgotten. A group of people sued the school district at the time, arguing the location was about a mile outside of "old Gahanna" and technically beyond the district boundary. "Why would they put a Gahanna district school outside of Gahanna?" Hawk told NBC4 on Aug. 6, paraphrasing the plaintiffs' argument.
On the Gahanna-Jefferson Schools Facebook page, a commenter involved in the cataloging effort wrote that the society has already begun documenting the contents and is preparing for a public presentation of its findings.
A bigger effort ahead
The time capsule is just the beginning. The school district described it as "the first phase" of an ongoing effort to share GLHS history with the Historical Society. Additional photographs, trophies, documents and other memorabilia from the old building will join the society's collection for future community displays.
The new Gahanna Lincoln High School opened Jan. 10, 2026, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony that drew more than 2,000 community members. Demolition of the old building followed to create additional parking at the site.
Coming up
- Tuesday, Sept. 8 — Gahanna Historical Society meeting: formal public unveiling of the 1927 time capsule and its contents. Time and location have not been announced; check with the Historical Society for details.
