RICHMOND — Lesson learned: Dig deeper.

       Workers removing chunks of granite that had once supported this city’s Robert E. Lee monument finally found what appears to be an elusive 1887 time capsule shortly before noon on Monday. It was in the spot where experts had looked for it unsuccessfully in September, but farther down in the ground.

       Wp Get the full experience.Choose your plan ArrowRight

       This is the second time a capsule was discovered under the monument; a small lead box opened last week contained mementos of several men who designed the memorial.

       Time capsule found under Lee monument contained books, envelope — but no Lincoln photo

       The good news: The latest box was made of copper and is roughly the right dimensions to be the long-rumored official time capsule, which is expected to contain some 60 items of Confederate memorabilia — including, possibly, a rare photo of President Abraham Lincoln in his casket.

       Story continues below advertisement

       The bad news: It was found sitting in water.

       “It’s not clear whether water is in the box or not,” said Grant Neely, a spokesman for Gov. Ralph Northam (D).

       Northam, who ordered the statue removed in September after condemning it as a racist relic of the Lost Cause, was on a coronavirus-related call with the National Governors Association when word of the find arrived, Neely said.

       Advertisement

       The box was located beneath the northeast corner of the monument, which is where historians expected it to be, following Masonic tradition. Workers spent an entire day in September probing this spot, but did not dig deeply enough into the granite rubble below the ground.

       The statue of Robert E. Lee is gone, but the mystery of the time capsule remains

       A smaller time capsule found inside the granite pedestal of the monument was opened last week to great fanfare, but it was apparent that it was not the official artifact that had been touted in historical news reports. The smaller box contained three books, at least one pamphlet, a photograph and a silver coin.

       Story continues below advertisement

       Most of the items appeared to relate to the men who designed or constructed the original monument. They were wet, but surprisingly intact, and are undergoing conservation so historians can better understand the tale they tell.

       The bright copper box unearthed Monday was quickly whisked away to the state Department of Historic Resources, where conservators will gauge its condition and formulate a plan for getting it open. If the contents have been soaking in water, any paper items might have been destroyed.

       Neely said the box could be opened as soon as Tuesday.