Gulfport City Council Opens Half Century Time Capsule

people standing outside and a woman speaking into a mic. — On Independence Day, the City of Gulfport opened “The Spirit of ’76 Half Century Time Capsule.”
*Photo by Ingrid Bredenberg*

A gift sealed inside Gulfport’s 1976 bicentennial time capsule connected two generations of city leadership when Mayor Karen Love opened a pen set and handwritten note from former Mayor Yvonne Johnson during the July 7 City Council meeting.

The City opened “The Spirit of ’76 Half Century Time Capsule” outside Gulfport City Hall on July 4 as part of its Independence Day celebration. Residents packed the morning ceremony to see what City leaders and residents had preserved during the nation’s bicentennial.

However, one package stayed wrapped until the next Council meeting. The gift was addressed to whoever served as Gulfport’s mayor, or top elected official, in 2026.

a metal circle with words that read "the Spirit of '76 half century time capsule to be opened jul y4, 2026, sealed during the celebration of american revolution bicentennial 1776-1976." — The time capsule is from 1976.
*Photo by Ingrid Bredenberg*

[read more below]

That’s not all that happened at the July 7 Gulfport City Council meeting. Read about approvals, the formal censure policy, pension credit changes, and what we overheard.

Mayor Karen Love sits at the Gulfport City Council dais holding a small box containing a pen set from the 1976 time capsule. — Mayor Karen Love opens a pen set and handwritten message left for Gulfport’s 2026 mayor inside the city’s 1976 bicentennial time capsule during the July 7 City Council meeting.
*Photo by Trei Johnson*

A Message From 1976

During the meeting, Love opened the package at the dais. First, she noticed the decorative gold-colored yarn tied around it.

“That’s the first thing I noticed,” Love said, pointing to what she called a very 1970s touch.

Then she opened the box and found another message inside. The handwritten note came from Johnson, who served as Ward IV council member and chair of Gulfport’s Bicentennial Committee in 1976.

“Dear Mayor, each person responsible for the planning and implementing of J.B. Clymer Park received one of these pen sets at the dedication of the park,” Love read.

Johnson wrote that the committee wanted Gulfport’s future mayor to have one, too.

“We hope this area is as lovely in 2026 as it is in 1976, and that all of your citizens are enjoying its beauty,” Johnson wrote. “The entire city sends its best wishes to you for 2026 and for the future.”

four people standing together for a photo. — Gulfport’s City Council and City Manager attended the time capsule event on July 4.
*Photo by Ingrid Bredenberg*

The cover of a spiral-bound City of Gulfport booklet dated 1976-77 features a hand-drawn bulldog wearing a “Zero Waste” tag. — A City of Gulfport booklet from 1976-77 featured a bulldog illustration and the phrase “Zero Waste.”
*Photo by Trei Johnson*

Pen Still Writes After 50 Years

Inside the box, Love found the pen set Johnson had left for Gulfport’s future leader. Then she tested the pen to see whether five decades inside the time capsule had dried out the ink.

“It works,” Love said after writing with it. “Very good. Perfect.”

The time capsule also included photographs, event programs, letters, flags, City documents, and other items from 1976. Together, the contents offered a snapshot of Gulfport during the bicentennial year.

Still, Johnson’s gift stood out. It did more than preserve a piece of City history. It carried a message across 50 years and linked Gulfport’s first and second female mayors through one small box.

a table of items such as sheet music, a flag, pamphlets, and tickets. — The City of Gulfport displayed the items from the time capsule on a table at the July 7 meeting.
*Photo by Trei Johnson*

A vintage television guide page features a color photograph of actress Susan Hampshire in period costume. — A television guide preserved in the time capsule featured actress Susan Hampshire as Lady Glencora from the British television series “The Pallisers.”
*Photo by Trei Johnson*

Gift Reaches Another Female Mayor

The moment took on added meaning because of who sent the gift and who received it.

Johnson later became Gulfport’s first female mayor. Love is the City’s second female mayor.

Before opening the package, Love said she wondered whether the gift would be gender specific. Instead, she found an unexpected connection.

“It was Yvonne Johnson, the first female mayor that the City ever had, and the gift goes to the second female mayor of the City,” Love said. “So that’s pretty funny.”

The Gulfport City Council’s next meeting is July 21 at 6 p.m.

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