LAWRENCE, Kan. — "Freshman year when I'd feel homesick, I'd go to Watson and do my homework because it was quiet and I didn’t know my roommate," said University of Kansas sophomore Emilie Theophile.
Watson Library sits at the heart of KU's campus, and since 1924, the library has provided a quiet environment for students to study.
"Watson is just that part of that beginning history of what we are today," said Christy McWard, executive director of communications and advancement for KU Libraries.
Because Watson Library is an integral part of KU's atmosphere, it's 100th birthday was worth celebrating. The creation of a 100-year time capsule concluded a semester's worth of centennial celebrations on Wednesday.
“We are celebrating the past, we are capturing a view of the present, and we are preserving it to transmit it to a future generation — this is exactly what libraries do," said Carol Smith, dean of KU Libraries.
The time capsule included everything from a piece of Allen Fieldhouse's floorboard to Jayhawk-themed buttons, 2024 currency and COVID-19 information stuffed into a pill bottle.
The time capsule also included national newspapers which highlighted the 2024 presidential race, as well as a University Daily Kansan newspaper clipping that detailed the increase in freshman enrollment.
McWard said the time capsule would be incomplete without a touch of pop culture; those involved with the project chose to include a tabloid with Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's love story splashed across the front page.
“Obviously Taylor Swift is a big deal in 2024," McWard said. "She’s actually a big deal at KU, too. She’s a secret fan of KU.”
Swift recently shared a YouTube Short of her wearing a KU sweatshirt, and in an old video — dated sometime around 2010 — the pop star said if she could go anywhere in the world, she would head to Lawrence, Kansas, to visit her best friend at KU. Swift has also been pictured entering a popular bar among students, The Hawk.
But maybe the most important of all, handwritten notes — from students, staff and faculty — were also included.
“I hope people can still read cursive in 100 years because I think a lot of younger people even now can’t read cursive, but there’s a lot of personal handwritten notes from across the campus," said Whitney Baker, head of conservation services for KU Libraries.
As the dean of KU Libraries, Smith included a note herself.
“We are thinking of you as we write these well-wishes, and we enjoy imagining you thinking of us in return from the intervening centuries," she read.
Those involved with the project say the time capsule encapsulates exactly what libraries do — they educate.
Smith's letter called libraries "guardians of truth" and wrote to the future Jayhawks of 2124 that she trusts the "eternal mission" of libraries "continues safely in your good hands."
"And then there's a P.S.," she said as she read her letter. "I do hope that you have conquered this whole dystopian-misinformation thing because it's proven quite the headache for us in 2024."
Baker and KU archivist Letha Johnson were tasked with ensuring all of the time capsule's contents could remain intact until 2124.
“We are going to be storing our time capsule in the University Archives, not underground, not inside a building, but in a climate-controlled space," she said.
A time capsule from 1926 at the University of Kansas did not preserve well because it was stored inside a metal container. Baker said this time capsule will be stored inside a box made of paper materials, and it won't be sealed, instead it will be tied closed with cotton tape.
“We know that paper should last for 100 years," Baker said as a nod to how many items in the time capsule are made of paper.
Although, not all current Jayhawks got the opportunity to write a letter to the future. Students shared with KSHB 41 News what they imagine KU will be like in 2124.
“You guys in the future, I feel like you’ll have way easier ways to learn, like new apps, new AI," said junior McKerry Theogene.
Learning was top of mind for many.
"I hope people can still go (to class) in person," said sophomore Joie Calfapietra.
As freshman Jason Smith took a look at his surroundings, he shared what he hopes for the future.
“In 100 years, hopefully they keep some of these cool buildings," he said.
Beyond learning and the limestone structures that dot Mount Oread, students hope KU's athletic legacy will continue on for generations of students to come.
“I would say the basketball program probably is going to still be pretty successful, I would hope, and I hope the traditions are still the same," said freshman Carson Straw.
Theophile had a message she hopes carries 100 years into the future.
"We all loved being here and it’s such a great place, and I don’t think that will ever change," she said.
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KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.