Purse lost in school in the 1950s to be reunited with owner

By: Niña V. Guno - 6 years ago

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. — A purse containing a prom invitation, photos and other items from 1950s America will be returned to its now 82-year-old owner after workers found it while demolishing part of an Indiana high school.

Martha Everett lost the black stitched purse more than six decades ago. Workers found it in January behind science classroom cabinets in the old Jeffersonville High School, where Everett was a senior in 1955.

This undated photo provided by Greater Clark County Schools in Jeffersonville, Ind., shows a purse of a student who attended the school in the mid-1950s. Image: Greater Clark County Schools via AP

Purse, 1950s — This undated photo provided by Greater Clark County Schools in Jeffersonville, Ind., shows a purse of a student who attended the school in the mid-1950s. Image: Greater Clark County Schools via AP

This undated photo provided by Greater Clark County Schools in Jeffersonville, Ind., shows items found inside of a purse of a student who attended the school in the mid-1950s. Image: Greater Clark County Schools via AP

This undated photo provided by Greater Clark County Schools in Jeffersonville, Ind., shows a letter requesting a date to prom found inside of a purse of a student who attended the school in the mid-1950s. Image: Greater Clark County Schools via AP

Greater Clark County Schools spokeswoman Erin Bojorquez says the district was able to track Everett “thanks to the power of social media” after one of her relatives saw a Facebook post about the purse. The district plans to mail the purse to Everett’s home in Florida.

The News and Tribune reports that its contents included a wallet, a letter inviting her to the prom, lipstick, photos and Juicy Fruit gum wrappers. NVG

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