AP News, January 22nd, 2007
Organizers of a coming out party for a brand new 1957 Plymouth Belvedere could use some help. The car, buried under the lawn of the Tulsa County Courthouse in 1957, is scheduled to be unearthed June 15 as part of the Oklahoma Centennial.
Promoters are looking for people who helped lower the car into its crypt in 1957 to perhaps shed some light on what to expect when the car is unearthed.
There's speculation the car may have turned into a pile of rust. Or that it's in pristine condition and worth thousands of dollars.
Sharon King Davis, who has chaired Tulsa's centennial efforts, looked at photos of the people responsible for burying the car in 1957 and found her grandfather.
"I wish grandpa had left me some instructions," she told the Tulsa World.
The car had been largely forgotten until Davis and her group started work on the centennial. Files on the car have vanished, so it's not clear what to expect when the lid is lifted.
What's known is that the car is on a steel pallet with jacks under the axles. Efforts were made to preserve it, but it's unclear if moisture has gotten to the metal and caused rust.
"There's a kind of Rip Van Winkle reaction," Davis says. "Most people had long ago forgotten the buried car, but as the time to dig it up nears, they are waking up and wondering about life in 1957."
Another unknown is who will be able to claim the car.
When the car was buried, a contest was announced to award the car and a $100 savings account to the person who came closest to guessing Tulsa's population in 2007.
Organizers concede that finding that person or his or her heirs may not be easy.
At the time, the guesses were recorded on microfilm and sealed in a steel container buried with the car.
___
On the Web: http://www.buriedcar.com
___
Information from: Tulsa World, http://www.tulsaworld.com
