Belvedere Lifted From The Vault

Hundreds crammed into bleachers and behind barricades to see the Belvedere come out of the vault Friday afternoon. It was wet Friday morning, but the crowd that gathered wasn't going to let one day

Friday, June 15th 2007, 9:57 am

By: News On 6

Hundreds crammed into bleachers and behind barricades to see the Belvedere come out of the vault Friday afternoon. It was wet Friday morning, but the crowd that gathered wasn't going to let one day of rain spoil 50 years of history. News On 6 anchor Omar Villafranca reports hundreds of people, young and old, crowded near the courthouse to catch a glimpse of history, 50 years in the making.

Simple curiosity drew visitors from all over the world. Silvester Humajâ€™s â€˜59 Buick broke down on the way from Massachusetts. He didn't let car trouble keep him away from seeing the buried treasure.

"I cannot imagine being anywhere else that's cooler than this. This is one of the coolest moments for me,â€ Humaj said. â€œI was born in 1979. I didn't have a chance to see a â€˜58, â€˜57, â€˜56 something, you know? â€˜57 Plymouth, I wish I could see a new one. This is about as close as we can get."

When the crane lifted the car from its rusty grave, it brought tears and a flood of memories to those watching.

Debbie Carr-Dover is one of the little girls sitting on the hood of the Belvedere in the famous picture from 1957. Fifty years later, she's still emotional about the capsule.

"When I saw the lid, the hood of the car, I lost it. It just brought back so many memories," said Carr-Dover.

Cheryl Forrest was here a half-century ago. She's one of the other Belvedere girls on the hood. For her, the unearthing is bittersweet.

â€œIt's just fun to finally see it come up. And it's a little bit sad, because now it's not there anymore," Forrest said.

The time capsule was also pulled out. It looked rusty, but it did look like it was in one piece. That's good news.

You can catch an hour-long special about Buried Belvedere and What's Inside. It begins at 7 o'clock on Channel 6. You can see the car unveiled and find out what's inside and if it survived.

We'll also be revealing the contents of the time capsule that was stored alongside the car.

Watch the video: Buried Belvedere Lifted From The Ground

Watch the video: Unearthing The Belvedere

Watch the video: Time Capsule Removed From Belvedere Vault

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