( CNN ) -- Paul Revere has n't stirred up this much anticipation in Boston since his midnight ride from Charlestown to Lexington . More than two centuries later , a recently unearthed time capsule he buried with fellow revolutionary Samuel Adams -- the man whom Revere was riding to see that night to warn that the British were coming -- has got his former city , state and most of the Internet abuzz . The artifact was unearthed Thursday thanks to a water leak near its resting place inside a cornerstone at the Massachusetts State House in Boston . When workers investigating the leak stumbled upon it , Secretary of State William Galvin , who heads the state historical commission , called Pamela Hatchfield , the head of object conservation at Boston 's Museum of Fine Arts . `` There was a big discussion about whether or not it should be removed , '' Hatchfield told Brooke Baldwin on `` CNN Newsroom '' on Friday . `` ( But ) because there was water infiltration in that area of the building , it was decided that we 'd try to see if we could find it , investigate and see whether the box was still intact . '' Hatchfield spent seven hours Thursday delicately and painstakingly chipping away at the stone to extricate it . `` The contents are of concern , but the plaster that held the box in place is in good condition , '' Galvin said . According to Galvin , the box-shaped capsule was placed by the Revolutionary-era duo in 1795 , a year when Adams was governor and when construction began on the State House and its iconic dome , which would eventually be overlaid with copper by Revere . Both he and Hatchfield said that based on historical records , the box is believed to contain coins , a plate and a Revere-inscribed plaque -- but no one knows for sure . `` It may contain other stuff , too , '' said Galvin . `` We do n't know that yet . '' But we might soon : Galvin , whose office is inside the State House , said the capsule 's contents are expected to be revealed sometime next week . For now , it 's getting some TLC and a thorough exam -- including X-rays over the weekend -- by the museum 's staff . This is not the first time this capsule was unearthed . In 1855 it was dug up during emergency repairs to the State House and put back in place , something that has Hatchfield `` a little worried . '' `` We 're a little worried because in 1855 , they cleaned the contents with acid , '' she said . `` So we 're a little concerned that things maybe deteriorated inside . '' Galvin sounded more optimistic . `` There were some coins that were tossed in the 1855 ceremony in the mix of the mortar . They are in good condition , so we are optimistic that the box itself has withstood the test of time and that it will therefore be holding the contents securely , '' he said . Galvin told CNN affiliate WBZ the capsule will probably be returned to the State House , and that he 's mulling both a new container for the capsule and new items from the current era . 113-year-old time capsule found in Boston . CNN 's Todd Leopold , Carma Hassan and Brooke Baldwin contributed to this story .
Time capsule will be X - rayed on Sunday before next steps are taken . The investigation led to unearthing of the nearly 220-year - old time capsule . Capsule was buried in 1795 by Paul Adams and Sam Adams . Its contents will be revealed next week .