Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport marked a century of Atlanta aviation by burying a time capsule September 8 on Stogner Hill. Airport leaders intend for the capsule to remain sealed until 2126.
The ceremony connected the airport’s present-day operations with its earliest history. Atlanta purchased the former racetrack property a century ago, and mail from the first airmail flight in 1926 is among the objects preserved for future airport leaders.

Nearly two dozen objects were placed inside. The collection includes a copy of the original airport lease, a View-Master featuring runway 10-28, a terminal-canopy LED light, a 3D-printed Concourse D expansion module, runway-race medals, a letter from Mayor Andre Dickens and a COVID-19 care kit.

Airport General Manager Ricky Smith also wrote a letter to the people who will oversee Hartsfield-Jackson in 2126. The capsule is meant to document both major infrastructure milestones and the workers who helped the airport grow.
The planned opening date is 100 years away, extending the airport’s centennial celebration into a record for the next generation.
Featured image: September 8 time-capsule ceremony. Credit: Miguel Martinez/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.


