A 1964 time capsule found sealed into the walls of the old Avondale Mall took Wal-Mart and county officials back in time Monday.

A workman wrestled about 15 minutes with the aluminum can Monday before prying a hole in it to reveal yellowed copies of July 2, 1964, editions of Atlanta Journal and the now defunct Atlanta Times newspaper, a newspaper clip of the groundbreaking for the mall that was built at a cost of $5 million, a 39-cent box of Alka Seltzer tablets, a tiny can of Bayer aspirin, a 1961 Population and Housing book, and a letter from an Avondale 8-year-old, Mary Shauna Colley.

On the front page, the Atlanta Journal announced the passage of the Civil Rights Bill under the headline "Rights Measure Cleared Congress." The Atlanta Times stories included one about Lester Maddox heading to court for preventing blacks from using his business.

But it was the letter from the 8-year-old, who lived at 3187 Wynn Drive in Avondale Estates, that held the most attention.

In her letter written on April 30, 1964, Mary and her 10-year-old sister Denise Cary Colley said their mother, Florence Colley, was the first employee of the Davidson's at Avondale Mall.

"We predict that people will be living on other planets," she said in the letter that included a March 6, 1964, photo of two little girls on their bike with their mother.

The content of the box was given to Atlanta History Center archivist Paul Graham and Ken Thomas, who chairs the center's Archive Committee.

Thomas said they will inventory the capsule's contents and make a list for Wal-Mart.

He said there are no plans to put the content on display at the History Center.

"Wal-Mart might want to put it in a corner of the new store," Thomas said.