It’s an event 101 years in the making for Effingham County.

Commissioners will unseal Saturday afternoon a time capsule that was placed in the cornerstone of the Historic Courthouse in 1909. The program begins at 3 p.m., and the original time capsule will be opened in the early stages of the event, county project manager Adam Kobek said.

“It’s at the bottom of the cornerstone, and the stone is actual Georgia Cherokee marble,” he said.

Items from the time capsule will be placed in a display case made from loose boards and heart of pine taken from the 101-year-old courthouse. The case will be covered in glass and be locked.

The county commissioners are gathering items to place in a new time capsule that will be inserted into the cornerstone. A copper box will be manufactured during Saturday’s ceremony, with the placement of the new items and the new time capsule ending the event.

The Masonic Lodges, who took part in the 1909 event, are being invited to have a hand in Saturday’s ceremony as the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Sons of the Confederate Volunteers.

Music will be provided by a string quartet from South Effingham High School, and Effingham County High School will provide the color guard. Hillary Usher, a performing arts participant with the Effingham 4-H, will sing the National Anthem. Historic Effingham Society president Richard Loper will speak on the historical perspective of the courthouse, and Mark Fitzpatrick of the courthouse rehabilitation design-build team will speak on the plans for the building’s second century of life.

The rehabilitation work on the courthouse remains on schedule for an October completion, Kobek said.

The original dedication ceremony for the courthouse and its cornerstone drew more than 2,000 people on Feb. 22, 1909

“We are anticipating a healthy crowd,” Kobek said. “It’s a great chance to experience history first hand. We hope to have a big event.”