Question: Where in Texas can visitors see a preserved horned frog that is rumored to have survived 31 years in a time capsule?
Answer: Eastland. According to local legend, when a time capsule encased in the cornerstone of the Eastland County courthouse in 1897 was opened in 1928, a live horned frog was discovered inside. “Old Rip,” as he came to be known, quickly became a national sensation, even making a trip to the White House to meet President Calvin Coolidge.
When Old Rip died the following year, he was embalmed and put on display in the lobby of the new county courthouse. In 1973, he was stolen by someone who claimed to have concocted the hoax and demanded his co-conspirators come forward. When no one did, Old Rip was returned to the county courthouse, and he remains on display there to this day.
