Confederate time capsule in "Johnny Reb" statue held flag, money

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Newspapers, a Confederate flag and Confederate States of America dollar bills were among the items inside a time capsule that was found at the base of a memorial in Florida when the statue of a soldier was moved.

CBS affiliate WKMG-TV reports the capsule was opened Tuesday, nearly two months after the 106-year-old memorial nicknamed "Johnny Reb" was moved from an Orlando park to a cemetery following public outcry that the monument is a symbol of racism and white supremacy.

The monument is being refurbished and re-erected in a section of the historic cemetery where 37 Confederate soldiers are buried, WFTV reports. The process is costing taxpayers more than $120,000.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said he didn't think the time capsule's relics would still be intact, WKMG-TV reports.

"Honestly, I was expecting dust and termite wings in the box," Dyer said.

City Historic Preservation Officer Richard Forbes said he was surprised that the newspapers and a booklet of the minutes from a 1910 convention of the Florida division of the Daughters of the Confederacy were in better condition than the money.

"Usually, that was on a higher-quality paper," Forbes said.

The capsule's items were placed in protective bags so they can be documented. They'll eventually be taken to the Orange County Regional History Center.