The Significance of 2007 in Tulsa

If you were guessing it had something to do with the fact that Oklahoma celebrates its centennial this year, you would be close. All the interest is actually related to that anniversary, but this is a much bigger deal than just a centennial celebration for Oklahoma.

A Trip Back to 1957

The story actually begins 50 years ago in 1957. We all know that the ’50s were truly a memorable time in history. Some might say that no year in that decade seemed more significant than 1957 did. After all, a lot of things took place that year. For one thing, the economy was outstanding, it was the height of the American car culture, and the Russians launched Sputnik I into outer space, and that affected everyone in a big way. Not only did it affect the United States and its position in the Cold War, but it also had everyone thinking about space and the future. All you have to do is look at many of the products sold in the late ’50s—cars especially—to see the influence that space-like style had on designers as they looked into the future.

Tulsa’s Bold Plan for the Future

While the city of Tulsa started to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Oklahoma’s statehood, it also began thinking about the future in a big way. That year, Oklahoma City buried a time capsule, or had planned to, and Tulsa couldn’t just stand by without doing something to up the ante. There has always been a bit of a rivalry between Tulsa and Oklahoma City, and Tulsa wanted to do something really big. At the time, Tulsa had more cars per capita within the U.S. than any other city except Los Angeles. So the city decided it would be over the top to put a new car in a time capsule to be dug up 50 years later on Oklahoma’s centennial celebration.

Selecting the 1957 Plymouth Belvedere

During Tulsa’s Golden Jubilee celebration in 1957, the city selected a ’57 Plymouth Belvedere two-door hardtop painted Desert Gold Poly and White to place in a vault in front of the Tulsa County courthouse. Why a Plymouth? According to the Golden Jubilee event chairman, Lewis Roberts Sr., the Plymouth was chosen because it was “an advanced product of American industrial ingenuity with the kind of lasting appeal that will still be in style 50 years from now.” To say the least, that was a fairly accurate statement. After all, how stylish would you be cruising the streets today in a ’57 Plymouth Belvedere?

The Burial of the Belvedere and Time Capsule

On June 15, 1957, the city of Tulsa went ahead as planned and placed a ’57 Plymouth Belvedere, along with a time capsule, in a vault buried in front of the Tulsa County courthouse. The time capsule placed with the Plymouth contained a variety of items, including maps, photos, and flags that had been flown at the state and national capitols. Inside the Plymouth were 10 gallons of gas and five quarts of oil—just in case they weren’t available in 2007—a case of Schlitz beer, and at the last moment, the contents of a woman’s purse were placed in the glovebox. Taking the best precautions they had at the time, the vault was prepared and the Plymouth was placed in a large bag to withstand 50 years in storage.

Anticipation Builds for June 15, 2007

So, for 50 years, a ’57 Plymouth Belvedere and a time capsule have rested in front of the Tulsa County courthouse just feet below the ground in a sealed vault. As one can imagine, many people had been waiting for June 15, 2007, for a long time. When that date finally rolled around, the city of Tulsa and the entire world would anticipate the raising of the vault contents.

The Unveiling Day Arrives

On that morning, people from all over the world converged in front of the Tulsa County courthouse for the moment they had all been waiting for. It started out a little gloomy, with a sprinkling of rain off and on, but when it was time to raise the vault’s contents, the rain had stopped. As the car was slowly raised out of the vault, the crowd was bursting with anticipation. Once the car was out of the vault, everyone could see that the bag covering the car was dirty and dingy, painting a not-so-pretty picture of the Belvedere’s condition.

The Reveal at Tulsa Convention Center

Because of space constraints in front of the courthouse, after the Belvedere and the time capsule were lifted out of the vault, they were placed on a flatbed trailer and transported to the Tulsa Convention Center so that more people could attend when the cover was removed from the Belvedere. That evening, about 7,300 people filled the convention center to witness history, as Boyd Coddington and his crew from “American Hot Rod” took the cover off the Belvedere. Everyone was hoping for gold, but as the cover came off, a sigh escaped from the crowd as it revealed a dirty and rusted Belvedere.

The Preservation of a Unique Piece of History

After the condition of the Belvedere was finally revealed, the goal became to preserve this unique piece of history. Remarkably, they were able to roll down both the driver’s- and passenger-side windows to remove the artifacts from inside the car. Most of the contents were beyond recognition, and the cans of Schlitz beer were undrinkable. They were not able to open either of the doors on the car, but they did open the hood and trunk. The engine was totally trashed and stood no chance of being started. They did, however, find the gasoline in the trunk along with a few other items.

The Time Capsule Offers a Glimmer of Hope

Nevertheless, the entire evening wasn’t ruined, as there was still the time capsule to be opened. After the capsule was cut open, it revealed that all of its contents were still in mint condition. As the contents were pulled out, the crowd exploded with applause as a U.S. flag with 48 stars was pulled out in mint condition. Once everything had been examined in the car and in the capsule, the evening slowly wound down.

The Weekend Car Show and the Big Question

After the unveiling, the car was transported to a hall at the end of the convention center, where an invitational car show was taking place. It was there that it was put on display for the rest of the weekend. In addition to the indoor show, there was an open car show on Saturday and Sunday where all makes of cars and many ’50s Mopars lined up for the public to view.

The Winner of the Buried Belvedere

Now that the unveiling was over and the car shows had taken place, the next big question was who would win the Belvedere. The plan in 1957 was that everyone would have the opportunity to guess the population of Tulsa in the year 2007, and whoever guessed the closest would win the ’57 Belvedere. All of the guesses were written on paper and placed in the time capsule. In the weeks that followed, the written guesses were processed, and it was determined that Raymond Humberston was the winner. He guessed that the population would be 384,743, and the actual population was 382,457. Humberston was off by only 2,286.

The Belvedere’s Future: A Family Heirloom

Humberston died in 1979, and his wife passed away in 1988, so the car was awarded to his closest living heirs. Humberston never had any children, but he did have two sisters. Luckily, both of his elderly sisters are still alive, and they live in Maryland. They were shocked when they learned of their ownership and can’t wait to make the trek to Tulsa to see their new prize. Now, what will they do with Buried Belvedere? Only time will tell.