PHOTOS: Antarctic "Time Capsule" Hut Revealed

100-Year-Old Butter

Photograph courtesy Antarctic Heritage Trust

A stash of frozen butter (pictured in December 2009) was recently discovered by experts excavating  Scott's expedition base, including his hut.

The butter, which had lain hidden in the stable yard for a hundred years, was made by the Canterbury Central Co-operative Dairy Company in New Zealand.

Scott's ship, the Terra Nova, would've sailed from England with dry goods, said Rachel Morgan, a spokesperson for the Antarctic Heritage Trust, a nonprofit devoted to preserving the huts of Scott and other Antarctic explorers.

But "perishables like butter couldn't be taken through the tropics, so they had to source such things in New Zealand," Morgan said.

January 11, 2010

Antarctic Darkroom

Photograph from Barcroft/Fame Pictures

The Terra Nova expedition's wooden shack included a darkroom for developing photographs (pictured), as well as more than 8,000 artifacts--most of which are still intact.

Scott's crew included biologists, geologists, and other scientists who brought their own scientific instruments--many of which are still in the huts.

"When you go into the hut, it feels as if the explorers have only just walked out," the Antarctic Heritage Trust's Morgan said.

January 11, 2010

Preserved Food

Photograph from Barcroft/Fame Pictures

Like other Antarctic explorers, Scott brought more food than he would actually need. Some of the food items left behind are still staples today, such as the Heinz ketchup and relish pictured above.

Scott's hut won't be completely renovated—just maintained to ensure it survives for future generations, according to the Antarctic Heritage Trust's Morgan. About 300 to 400 tourists visit Scott's last home annually.

"The hut will look as it did 50 years ago, but not how it looked when Scott and his men were living there."

January 11, 2010

Captain Scott's Bunk

Photograph from Barcroft/Fame Pictures

Scott's bunk in the Terra Nova hut (pictured in 2009) was piled with a reindeer-skin sleeping bag and several blankets.

The hut was made of wood prefabricated in England and put together by the ship's crew within eight days of landing.

To help keep out the cold, the space between the inner and outer wooden walls of the hut were stuffed with an insulating layer made of shredded seaweed sewn into quilting.

January 11, 2010

Captain Scott Writing

Photograph from Barcroft/Fame Pictures

Captain Scott writes in his den in the Terra Nova hut in this October 7, 1911, photograph.

The hut and three others nearby were the first human dwellings on the continent, according to Antarctic Heritage Trust's Morgan.

"It is only in Antarctica that such a situation exists," she said.

January 11, 2010

Dining Table

Photograph from Barcroft/Fame Pictures

The dining table in the Terra Nova hut (pictured in 2009) still contains bottles and containers that Scott's crew used during meals.

Despite the cramped quarters, the hut was still divided into officers' quarters and "men's" quarters. Each group took their meals separately, Antarctic Heritage Trust's Morgan said.

January 11, 2010

Lamp Oil

Photograph from Barcroft/Fame Pictures

Among the 8,000 artifacts still in the Terra Nova hut is a box of Homelight-brand lamp oil (pictured).

Various Antarctic exploring teams would use each other's huts, but they always carried their own supplies, just in case.

"There was always the chance they may not find the other huts or reach them," Antarctic Heritage Trust's Morgan said.

January 11, 2010

Leaving Terra Nova

Photograph from Barcroft/Fame Pictures

Captain Scott and three of his companions prepare to explore Antarctica's Western Mountains in a September 15, 1911, photograph.

Though most people will never visit the huts, the Antarctic Heritage Trust says the buildings have intrinsic value that make them worth preserving.

"They're icons from a stage of exploration of worldwide significance,” Morgan said. "They are unparalleled.”

January 11, 2010