Many of you may have heard mention of Union's cornerstone being removed during our Bicentennial celebration. This stone was placed in the rear corner wall of the original first floor construction in 1869. The cornerstone is a hollowed out piece of sandstone weighing over 100 pounds. Inside the stone, under a slate lid sealed shut with tar is a box about 8 inches square and 5 inches high. This box is made of lead and a lid is soldered shut on the top of the box. The box is lined with asbestos so the contents don't burn during soldering. The box was first opened during the US Bicentennial in 1976 and contents were added at that time pertinent to Union and to the United States 200th Anniversary. This was in addition to the many contents placed in it in 1869, including newspapers, coins and various artifacts. When it is returned to it's original place after Union finishes it's Bicentennial celebration this fall there will be items from this past years celebration and mementos of the year 2016. Among those will be newspaper articles of this past year’s events and 2016 coins. The contents were displayed at the church picnic in July and will be on display again at the celebration service in September concluding our 200th year.