A time capsule created dating back to 1795 was discovered outside of a Massachusetts courthouse on December 11. The capsule was reportedly placed there by Revolutionary War hero Paul Revere and fellow patriot Samuel Adams.

Workers attempting to fix a water leak below the Massachusetts State House found and removed the time capsule from within a cornerstone outside of the court house.

According to CNN, the head of the state historical commission Secretary of State William Galvin called Pamela Hatchfield when the capsule was discovered. Hatchfield is “the head of object conservation at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts.”

Hatchfield told Brooke Baldwin on CNN Newsroom that “there was a big discussion about whether or not it should be removed,” however, “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.”

It took Hatchfield seven hours to fully remove the artifact from its original position, chipping away at the cornerstone to extract it. Galvin also said that the outside of the box is in good condition, but that the contents of the capsule are “of concern.”

Yahoo News reports that “the capsule had been placed in the cornerstone of the State House by Revere and fellow American revolutionary Sam Adams, who was then the governor of Massachusetts.”

The contents of the box are still unknown. According to CNN, both Galvin and Hatchfield believe that “based on historical records, the box is believed to contain coins, a plate and a Revere-inscribed plaque, however no one knows for sure what is inside.

CNN also reported that the contents are expected to be revealed within the next week, according to Galvin. The museum’s staff is currently conducting x-rays on the box, and are “thoroughly” examining it over the weekend.

This same report also noted that this was not the first time the capsule had been dug up. The artifact had been dug up previously in 1855, and was placed back into its resting place until now. Hatchfield stated that she and fellow historians are “a little worried because in 1855, they cleaned the contents with acid,” and that is concerning because some of the contents may have been deteriorated. However, Galvin believes that the box has withstood the test of time even after the 1855 discovery, due to the fact that coins from that year were discovered amongst the mortar holding the time capsule.