Massachusetts state officials have discovered a 200-year-old time capsule buried by Revolutionary War hero Paul Revere and Governor Sam Adams.

The State House is being repaired because of an ongoing water problem. To protect the time capsule, officials decided to extract it and did so in a ceremony that started in downtown Boston and proceeded to the State House. State police escort helped take the time capsule to the Museum of Fine Arts to be X-rayed.

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The time capsule was buried by Adams, Revere and William Scollay in 1795.

"Hopefully there will be no damage and we will be able to observe the artifacts that trace us back to the history not only just of this building, but of our Commonwealth and our country," said Secretary of State William Galvin, who was on hand for the capsule's first appearance in over a century.

Meghan Kelly, a spokeswoman for the Executive Office of Administration and Finance, said they believe the capsule includes a collection of silver and copper coins dating from between 1652 and 1855; an engraved silver plate; newspapers; the seal of the Commonwealth; cards and a title page from the Massachusetts Colony Records.

Museum of Fine Arts conservator Pam Hatchfield said the deteriorated copper alloy box was successfully freed from damage and was good shape during the removal process. Hatchfield described it as smaller than a cigar box but heavier than expected.

The officials haven't yet decided whether to add any objects to the time capsule before burying it again.

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