RICHMOND, Va. – Now that an iconic statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee has been taken from its perch above Richmond’s Monument Avenue, crews plan to remove a piece of history from its gigantic pedestal.

A time capsule from 1887 that state officials believe is tucked inside the statue’s base is set to be removed today. It will be replaced with a new time capsule that contains items reflective of current times, including an expired vial of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, a Black Lives Matter sticker and a photograph of a Black ballerina with her fist raised near the Lee statue after racial justice protests erupted following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last year.

A newspaper article from 1887 suggests that the original copper time capsule contains items including a U.S. silver dollar and a collection of Confederate buttons. But one line from that article has piqued the interest of historians. Listed among the artifacts is a “picture of Lincoln lying in his coffin.”