Time Capsule to be Unearthed at San Francisco’s 

Mount Davidson Cross Commemorating First

 Easter Sunrise Service of 1923

Reveal of time capsule items and burial of new time capsule; 

Religious and political leaders join for historic event

 WHEN:                     Saturday, April 1, 2023

11am – Ceremony Begins

WHERE:                   Mount Davidson Cross

          39 Dalewood, San Francisco

*Media Vans to use Fire Road for automobile access to 

 Mt. Davidson Cross HillTop*

WHO: 

• Hosted by the Council of Armenian American Organizations of Northern California

• See below for other participants  

(San Francisco, CA) On Saturday, April 1, 2023, a time capsule will be unearthed from the foot of Mt. Davidson Cross in San Francisco.  Ninety years ago to the day, city officials and community members gathered at the top of Mt. Davidson to witness Boy Scouts of America Troop 88 bury a sealed copper box at the foot of the cross to commemorate the first Easter Sunrise Service held there.

Members of today’s Troop 88 will assist in the unearthing of the time capsule. The troop recently celebrated its 100th anniversary and continues to meet regularly at the Forest Hill Clubhouse. 

The San Francisco Historical Society will receive the unearthed items and prepare the items for archiving and display at its downtown San Francisco museum this summer.

Following the unearthing of the old time capsule, a new time capsule will be buried at the same spot. 

WHEN:                     Saturday, April 1, 2023

11am – Ceremony Begins

WHERE:                   Mount Davidson Cross

          39 Dalewood, San Francisco

*Media Vans to use Fire Road for automobile access to Mt. Davidson Cross Hilltop*

WHAT: * Press box located at mixer position * 

* Selection of Aerial Drone Video Footage Links of 

Mt. Davidson Cross

*Event will be Livestreamed from the 

“Mt. Davidson Landmark Park and Cross” Facebook & Instagram Page

WHO: 

• Hosted by the Council of Armenian American Organizations of Northern California  

• San Francisco Boy Scouts of America Troop #88

• San Francisco Historical Society

• Archbishop Salvadore Cordieone, Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco

• Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church

• Metropolitan Gerasimos , Metropolitan of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco

• Rev. Jeff Mammen, New Life Church of the Nazarene & Lead Pastor of the  Annual Easter Sunrise Service at Mt. Davidson Cross

• The Rev. Cn. Debra Low-Skinner, Canon to the Ordinary for the Episcopal Diocese of California

• Elected Officials  – To be confirmed

The Council of Armenian-American Organizations of Northern California (CAAONC) is a coalition of more than 30 Armenian-American organizations that purchased the Mt. Davidson Cross through a City of San Francisco public auction in 1997. The sale was then approved by San Francisco voters. The CAAONC has renovated the cross and maintains it and the hilltop  as an offer of thanks to San Francisco for becoming a safe haven for survivors of the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by the Turkish government of the Ottoman Empire, 1915-1918. 

NOTE: A list of the unearthed items and new items being placed

 into the ground will be available after the event.

NOTES: In the event of rain, the ceremony will take place inside at 

St. John’s Armenian Apostolic Church, 275 Olympia Way, SF 

(1 mile from the cross)

Selection of Aerial Drone Video Footage Links of 

Mt. Davidson Cross

Event will be livestreamed from the 

“Mt. Davidson Landmark Park and Cross” Facebook and Instagram Pages

Tips for Guests Attending

Those planning to attend are advised to dress warmly, in layers, and wear comfortable walking shoes for the hike to the summit. The trailhead across from 125 Dalewood Way affords the easiest route to the top. A van will be available for those who need assistance to the top.

History of Mt. Davidson Cross:

https://www.mountdavidsoncross.org/about-the-cross

Between 1923-33, four temporary wooden crosses were erected in succession atop Mt. Davidson by local Christian groups, but each successively burned down. 

In 1933, Margaret May Morgan, the first woman on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, led the collection of  donations to build the current 103-ft. concrete cross. President Franklin D. Roosevelt turned a symbolic switch from the White House to light  the cross on March 24, 1934 in front of an audience of 50,000 people during the Easter Sunrise Service.

Since 1923, Easter sunrise services have been held atop Mt. Davidson every year. These services were broadcast nationwide from the 1940s to the 1970s. This year’s Easter Sunrise Service will be held on Sunday, April 9, 2023, marking the 100th anniversary of the first Easter Sunrise Service held at Mt. Davidson in 1923.