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Maddox Lemler may have been one of the few people at Friday’s Liberty Tree dedication and time capsule sealing ceremony at the Kosciusko County Courthouse who will be able to see the box reopened in 50 years for America’s 300th anniversary.
Lemler, 15, a Warsaw Community High School sophomore and the son of Ellie and Joshua, recently began volunteering at the Kosciusko County Old Jail Museum. He helped work on the time capsule, getting stuff together like post cards and pictures to put in the box.
“I think it’s pretty awesome that I was able to be a part of this,” he said.
He wrote a note to be placed into the time capsule that he said was something he could read for himself in five decades.
“If I forget anything, I can read it, then I’ll know,” Lemler, who wants to be a historian, stated.
History In A Box
The early 1900s box being used for the time capsule was found on Facebook Marketplace by Mike Loher, ML Community Impact Alliance founder and Freedom Fest organizer.
“It caught my eye because it looked old, it looked vintage and it looked like it would be a perfect time capsule,” he said.
Loher drove to Columbia City and purchased the box from some folks. It originally was a toy box for their grandmother.
Bowers Jewelry engraved two plaques for the box, one on the top and one on the front, to signify what the box is.
The plaque on the front says: “Do not open until July 4, 2076, on the 300th anniversary of American independence. Opening instructions at the Kosciusko County Recorders Office, reference America 250.”
The plaque on the top says: “Sealed on July 10, 2026, by the ML Community Impact Alliance Inc., Freedom Fest Committee, citizens of Warsaw, citizens of Kosciusko County; Kosciusko County Commissioners Sue Ann Mitchell, Cary Groninger, Bob Conley; Warsaw Mayor Jeff Grose. During the Kosciusko County celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States of America. Freedom Fest - America 250. ML Community Impact Alliance Inc. In honor of the enduring ideas of freedom, service, community.”
Loher said the box will be on display in the county courthouse. It is not being buried.
Objects placed into the box included a couple Times-Union newspapers with stories about Freedom Fest; letters from fifth- and sixth-grade students from Warsaw Community Schools; a library card; Freedom Fest endorsement letters from Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith, Congressman Rudy Yakym; a letter from the Kosciusko County Commissioners and Council; an autographed Winona Lake history book by Al Disbro; a Warsaw history book by Michelle J. Bormet; a letter from Grose and the Warsaw Common Council; drone pictures of downtown Warsaw and Winona Lake; Freedom Fest information; coins; a map; a Warsaw Cut Glass Christmas tree ornament; an artificial knee from Zimmer Biomet; cash, including pennies; and inspiring postcards.
Mike Cox, Winona Lake Fire Department, submitted a 20th anniversary pin concerning 9/11 in 2001. “It honors the first responders and everybody at the World Trade,” he stated.
Kosciusko County Councilman Joe Irwin put in a miniature John Deere tractor from 2026. It represents today’s technology in farming, as well as agriculture in the county.
Spirit Under A Tree
The Liberty Tree - a Crimson Maple in this case - was donated by Warsaw Common Councilman Juergen Voss, who also owns the Open Air Garden Center. It was previously planted on the east side of the courthouse for Friday’s dedication.
Historian Lisa Hendry, representing the Kosciusko County Historical Society, explained the history of the Liberty Tree.
“In 1765, in Boston, a group of the Colonists would gather around this tree and they would talk about how they were going to protest the Stamp Act and the other unfair, unjust taxations that were going on,” she said. “So, they met under this tree. Other Colonists, in what became the States, heard about this Liberty Tree and they started having a Liberty Tree in their area, too, where the citizens would gather to express their concerns over what the government was doing to them without representation.”
The original Liberty Tree, which was an elm tree, was cut down by British soldiers in 1775, but “it didn’t stop the spirit that had already started by people gathering under a specific tree in a public area, discussing their rights and freedom. So that’s what the Liberty Tree is all about,” Hendry stated.
Whether it’s an elm or a crimson maple, she said it represents that freedom doesn’t come easy and it’s not guaranteed.
“We all have a right to have our opinions and express them, and it’s a symbol of that,” Hendry said.
One Generation To The Next
Ken Locke, on behalf of the ML Community Impact Alliance, the Freedom Fest Committee, the America 250 Committee and their many community partners, said, “Thank you for joining us as we dedicate this Liberty Tree and seal our America 250 time capsule.
“Today, we gather to dedicate a tree, but to dedicate also a symbol. A symbol of liberty, a symbol of hope, a symbol of sacrifice, a symbol of the generations who came before us and those who will follow. As America, we celebrate our 250th anniversary. May this tree remind us that freedom must continually be nurtured, protected and passed from one generation to the next.”
After a prayer by Locke, he recognized county, city and other officials; the Freedom Fest Committee; ML Community Impact Alliance Board; and event sponsors.
Hendry explained the Liberty Tree, followed by comments by Ed Rock.
“Today, we dedicate this Liberty Tree to the enduring ideals of life, liberty, justice, faith, service and the enduring promise of the United States,” Rock said. “May its roots grow deep, may its branches stretch toward heaven. May those who stand beneath it remember the courage and sacrifice of those who secured our freedom. And may future generations find inspiration beneath its shade.”
A granite marker commemorating the Liberty Tree and America’s 250th anniversary will be placed at the tree in the near future. Rock said anyone who wanted to contribute towards the marker was invited to reach out to the ML Community Impact Alliance.
“Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to officially dedicate the Kosciusko County Liberty Tree in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States of America,” Rock stated.
Statements For The Future
Also as part of Friday’s celebration, he said they will seal their America 250 time capsule. He said the items that were to be placed into the box represented Kosciusko County and the community in 2026.
“These items tell the story of who we are, what we value, what we have accomplished and what we hope for the generations who will one day open this capsule. Our hope is that when this time capsule is opened in 2076, as America celebrates her 300th anniversary, future generations will look back with gratitude and recognize that we did our part to preserve the freedoms and opportunities that we inherited,” Rock said.
He then mentioned Lemler.
“We will be giving Maddox the instructions on how, when, where and who is to open this in 2076. We hope when he is here in 50 years, he will remember this day and us fondly,” Rock said.
County Commissioner Bob Conley took to the microphone and said, “It is said that the true nature of faith is one plants a tree knowing full well they’ll never live long enough to sit in its shade.”
He said the symbolism was similar to the 250 years from when “our forefathers founded this great nation, not knowing the future, but filled with hope, optimism and a dream just as we do today.”
He referenced his uncle who lost his life in World War II. “And by being here tonight, I dedicate his memory to this tree so that my children in the future they know and understand the sacrifice that he made,” Conley said.
Warsaw Common Council President Jack Wilhite, who’s been retired from the orthopedic industry for six years, read a prepared statement on Zimmer Biomet.
He said, “I had a 42-year career in the orthopedic industry. Orthopedics is big in this town. It’s made a lot of lives a lot easier and a lot better. We are grateful to recognize Zimmer Biomet for its contribution to this time capsule and support of Freedom Fest.”
For more than 99 years, Zimmer Biomet has helped shape the identity of Warsaw and Kosciusko County through innovation, opportunity and a shared commitment to building a strong and promising future in our community, Wilhite said.
Zimmer Biomet’s contribution included a knee replacement implant etched with “Made in Warsaw, Indiana,” reflecting the “pioneering spirit that helped establish the Orthopaedic Capital of the World and the innovations they develop that continue to improve lives today,” Wilhite said.
He thanked Zimmer Biomet for its longstanding contributions to Kosciusko County, commitment to innovation and their dedication to the Warsaw community.
After the tree was dedicated and the time capsule sealed, Rock concluded the ceremony by stating, “Brave men and women chose freedom over fear. They believed that future generations deserve the opportunity to live in liberty and to determine their own destiny. Tonight, we become part of that continuing American story. Long after we are gone, this tree will continue to grow. Its branches will shape children not yet born. Its roots will remind future generations that freedom grows strongest when communities come together in faith, service and love of country. And beneath this ground, the 250th time capsule will preserve a small piece of our community and our time for those that will gather here 50 years from now.”
He thanked everyone who helped honor the past, celebrate the present and inspire the future.
“May God continue to bless Kosciusko County. May God bless the great state of Indiana. And may God forever bless the United States of America,” Rock firmly concluded.
