Photos: Daughter shows off her mother's bicentennial time capsule
From the America 250: Stories from Iowa's history and how they've shaped the country series
Kathy (Lyons) Tabak shows off a time capsule from America's bicentennial in 1976 that was made by her mother, Rita (Lerch) Lyons.Â
Kathy (Lyons) Tabak and her husband David pose with her mother's time capsule from 1976 at the Quad-City Times office on Thursday, June 18, in Davenport. Tabak's mother, Rita (Lerch) Lyons, who lived in Rock Island, had collected memorabilia from 1976 that celebrated America's bicentennial. Just recently did she open the capsule, finding magazines, newspapers, a Pepsi can, ribbons and more in the box.
Kathy (Lyons) Tabak sorts through her mother's time capsule from 1976 on Thursday, June 18, in Davenport.Â
Kathy (Lyons) Tabak shows off an outer cover a phone book from 1976 on Thursday, June 18, in Davenport. The cover featured historical figures such as George Washington and the Statute of Liberty using a phone.Â
Kathy Tabak and her husband, Dave, look through memorabilia from 1976 on Thursday, June 18, 2026 in Davenport.
Kathy (Lyons) Tabak lays out Time magazines that she found in her mother's time capsule from 1976 on Thursday, June 18, in Davenport.
Kathy Lyons Tabak shows off her mother's time capsule from 1976 on Thursday, June 18, in Davenport.
Kathy Tabak opens a metal container to show off her smaller memorabilia from her mother's time capsule from America's bicentennial in 1976 on Thursday, June 18, in Davenport.
Woven bookmarks commemorate America's bicentennial in 1976.
Kathy Lyons Tabak shows off her mother's time capsule from 1976 on Thursday, June 18, in Davenport.
Memorabilia such as drink cans and candy containers were also in Rita Lyons' 1976 time capsule.Â
The cover of a 1976 phone book featured historical figures such as George Washington and the Statute of Liberty using a phone.Â
Kathy Lyons Tabak shows off her mother's time capsule from 1976 on Thursday, June 18, in Davenport.
An invite for a July 3rd party celebrating the country's bicentennial created by Kathy Tabak's mother, Rita (Lerch) Lyons.
Kathy Tabak shows off a bicentennial themed sugar packed from her mother's time capsule from 1976 on Thursday, June 18, in Davenport.
In this Series
America 250: Stories from Iowa's history and how they've shaped the country
A box tucked beneath a wedding dress held an unexpected treasure: an untouched 1976 bicentennial time capsule assembled by a Rock Island woman.
Read all our stories of Iowa History to commemorate 250 years of America. We have important stories from Sioux City, Council Bluffs, Waterloo,…
