Time capsule discovered in backyard of Northridge home connects woman to her late father

NORTHRIDGE, LOS ANGELES () — Jacqueline Louise Bennett, who now goes by Lyn Campbell, holds a letter her father wrote over 60 years ago and then buried in the backyard of their Northridge home without telling anyone.

The time capsule marks the completion of a playhouse her father and grandfather built, which was central to the 27 years that she lived there.

“It’s very emotional for me and I have so many memories here from this home. I mean, I was my parent’s only child. My dad died when I was only 8 and so the memories of him are tied this house. It feels like he’s around me and that’s very special because I was a daddy’s girl,” said Campbell, who the letter was addressed to dated Nov. 26, 1961.

Campbell no longer lives in Northridge, but she would come back a few times a year to see her old house, her old school and celebrate memories. On one particular visit last month, she was able to connect with the current homeowner, which is how she learned of the time capsule.

“We only kept it because it was a little history of this house when we started our own family,” said Grace Medrano. “I figured it must have been important to somebody. We kept it for my daughter so as she got older, I could tell her look what we came across. This was your home and it belonged to a little girl also.”

Back in 2019, Medrano and her husband made some upgrades to their backyard, which included demolishing the playhouse. That’s when their contractor found the time capsule.

“If the playhouse was still standing, we wouldn’t have seen this. We wouldn’t have known it was there and then I thought, how is it that Grace kept it?… They could have thrown it out. They didn’t know me. They didn’t expect to see me or meet me or meet anyone related to this home,” said Campbell.

Campbell says she’s already showed the time capsule to her son and grandson and plans to pass it onto them – so they can carry on her memories of the people and places that matter most.

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