Time Capsule
This statue of Benjamin Franklin is the earliest – still existing – monument placed in San Francisco. It was originally located at Kearny and Market, but was moved to its present location in 1904.
The statue is cast iron and sits atop a granite pedestal.
The statue was donated to the city by Henry Cogswell, a dentist whose investments in stocks and real estate during the gold rush made him one of the city’s first millionaires. When it was installed here in 1879, a time capsule was placed under the statue. The capsule, which mostly contained objects from Henry Cogswell, was opened in 1979 and replaced with a new one, to be opened in 2079.
Around the base you will find these words, one on each side; Congress, Vichy, Cal Seltzer. These were all famous Mineral Springs in California. Their purpose is to espouse the virtues of regular drinking water, as Mr Cogswell was a staunch temperance advocate.
Comments
3 responses to “North Beach – Ben Franklin”
Love your bits of history you always add to the photos! So, where did the first time capsule stuff end up? That is one exquisitely done statue.
Nice one! I always like the idea of a time capsule.
Interesting. While at Rochester,MN we saw there time capsule. They open it up every 25 years and add items to it.