The city of Rochester released more information Friday about the time capsule that was found while moving a Frederick Douglass statue earlier this week.

The city historian said material in the time capsule dates back to 1898, with additional items being added in 1941, but nothing can be salvaged.

City Historian Christine Ridarsky said it was not the outcome they had expected in regards to the material in the capsule.

"So you know even under the best of circumstances we would have expected some moisture damage, unfortunately, it was a very wet location, and it appears that probably the contents have been saturated with water for probably from almost the beginning,” Christine Ridarsky.

Ridarsky described the remains in the time capsule as a pile of pulp.

The historian says things in the capsule should include pamphlets by Susan B. Anthony, a map of Monroe County, a letter from Haiti talking about the donation of $1,000 to help build the Douglass statue and more.

Ridarsky said there were some things you could pick out from what appeared to be a newspaper.

"Getting to the heart of the matter, of the massive material in here, my first inclination is this is a relic in this state, and that's probably the way it will remain with the contents,” said Ralph Wiegandt, a Professional Conservator.

Since the box was found, the contents have dried somewhat, but the historian and conservator fears more damage could happen to the documents inside.

Ralph Wiegandt added “I think it would be worthwhile exploring vacuum freezing drying to stabilize it as is, and then it can be kept in an environmentally controlled situation.”

The city will hold onto the content with hopes that newer technology will be able to tell exactly what was in the capsule.