A long-lost handbag discovered as workers prepared to raze a former high school in Jeffersonville, Indiana, is offering a nostalgic look at teen life in the 1950s.
According to the News and Tribune, workers unearthed the 65-year-old purse as they tore down cabinets inside the building, which was a Jeffersonville High School classroom until the school moved to a new building in the 1970s. A new elementary school is being built at the site.
Greater Clark County Schools officials identified the purse's owner as 1955 grad Martha Ina Ingham and took to social media to track her down, WLKY reported.
"Lost and Found Alert: Martha Ina Ingham's handbag from 1954 has been found in the Franklin Square demolition," the district said in a Facebook post Thursday. "We would love to return it to her or her family!"
The district also shared photos of the purse's contents, including a letter asking Ingham to prom, another note from a friend, a 1953-54 basketball schedule, a tube of lipstick, a bus schedule and a first-place ribbon for a 1954 mile relay.
On Saturday, the district posted that officials had tracked down Ingham, who is in her 80s and lives in another state, according to WLKY.
District spokeswoman Erin Bojorquez told the News and Tribune that Ingham "was found thanks to the power of social media" after a family member saw the district's Facebook post. Officials are shipping the purse back to Ingham.
"I hope this little piece of history brings back fond memories of her year at Jeffersonville High School," Bojorquez told the newspaper.
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