A School Found A Purse That Was Lost Back In The 50s, And It’s Like A Time Capsule For People Of The Generation
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Last spring, someone at North Canton Middle School stumbled upon an impressive artifact. Crammed in the corner of the wall next to a locker, there was a small, red purse covered in dust and spiderwebs. Upon closer inspection, the lucky finder realized that the purse belonged to a young lady named Patti Rumfola. According to the vintage things in her purse, Patti, who may have gone to school in the 1950s or 1960s, was around 14 years old at the time that she lost her precious belongings.
More info: Facebook
Last year, someone at North Canton Middle School found a mysterious bag that belonged to a teenager named Patti Rumfola
When this time capsule was first posted on North Canton City Schools’ Facebook page, the interesting photos gathered lots of attention.
People were eager to find the owner of the purse, which went missing 60 years ago. And they did. Sadly, Patti passed away in 2013, but her five children loved getting a glimpse into their mother’s life.
Patti was around 14 years old when she lost her bag
Not much more is known about the teenager who lost her purse, but with so many people taking an interest, the school decided to share her eulogy.
The bag was found crammed between a wall and a locker more than 60 years after it was lost
According to it, Patti was born in 1942 and spent her life working as a teacher. The woman was married and had 5 children. Patti died at the age of 71.
Even though people helped to track down Patti’s family, they found out that she died back in 2013
Patti died at the age of 71 after working as a teacher in Annapolis, Maryland for years
The purse contained various snippets of Patti’s life, such as library cards, tickets, photos, and makeup
“She enjoyed the Ladies of the Lake and her book and quilting clubs,” her obituary said
The coins that were left in her purse were split between her 5 children
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Thanks to the family for sharing this with the world! What a charming time capsule.
People often had such exquisite handwriting back then, they really took pride in it.
I remember having to write "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dogs." Over and over. My writing wasn't great back then, but my mother told me that smart people didn't have good hand writing lol. She had bad hand writing ... hmmmm. ;-)
My dad was born in 1947 and remembers having school lessons specifically for writing. He said the loops and the slants had to be just so and his teacher would go over everyone's work and correct the appearance of their writing. When I was being taught cursive in elementary school, he lamented the fact that those lessons weren't taught anymore. For what it's worth, his and my mom's (born 1949) writing are still exquisite. Mine is legible but not pretty like theirs is.
I can no longer write legibly!
My mother was born in 1948 and still has hand writing like this. It's perfect and beautiful every time.
Handwriting was a subject you could fail back then.
This was wonderful to see! Many thanks for this...yet I’m wondering just how this purse was lost.
Me too! I'm thinking it was pinched and hidden there as a joke, maybe a last day of High School prank. I had such "friends" in High School. I also wonder how it sat there for 60 years. Does no one clean?
Or paint
I read in another place online and there was a piece of wood molding covering the gap between the lockers and the wall. When they removed the old wood to replace it, the purse was found by the repairman.
It was stashed there the week between Oct. 19-26, 1957. (Look at her school football schedule.) Maybe a Halloween prank? Homecoming? As far as cleaning...probably not. Not in the sense you mean,anyway.
Minus any bills that were in it! They left pennies! Always at the bottom!
@Mairead Heffernan, The wall is ceramic tile, and the lockers are enameled steel. What part of that would you expect to have been painted?
Check the outline on the floor and on the wall. It's possible that bank of lockers had been buried behind a wall between the 1956 and 1957 school years.
Thanks to the family for sharing this with the world! What a charming time capsule.
People often had such exquisite handwriting back then, they really took pride in it.
I remember having to write "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dogs." Over and over. My writing wasn't great back then, but my mother told me that smart people didn't have good hand writing lol. She had bad hand writing ... hmmmm. ;-)
My dad was born in 1947 and remembers having school lessons specifically for writing. He said the loops and the slants had to be just so and his teacher would go over everyone's work and correct the appearance of their writing. When I was being taught cursive in elementary school, he lamented the fact that those lessons weren't taught anymore. For what it's worth, his and my mom's (born 1949) writing are still exquisite. Mine is legible but not pretty like theirs is.
I can no longer write legibly!
My mother was born in 1948 and still has hand writing like this. It's perfect and beautiful every time.
Handwriting was a subject you could fail back then.
This was wonderful to see! Many thanks for this...yet I’m wondering just how this purse was lost.
Me too! I'm thinking it was pinched and hidden there as a joke, maybe a last day of High School prank. I had such "friends" in High School. I also wonder how it sat there for 60 years. Does no one clean?
Or paint
I read in another place online and there was a piece of wood molding covering the gap between the lockers and the wall. When they removed the old wood to replace it, the purse was found by the repairman.
It was stashed there the week between Oct. 19-26, 1957. (Look at her school football schedule.) Maybe a Halloween prank? Homecoming? As far as cleaning...probably not. Not in the sense you mean,anyway.
Minus any bills that were in it! They left pennies! Always at the bottom!
@Mairead Heffernan, The wall is ceramic tile, and the lockers are enameled steel. What part of that would you expect to have been painted?
Check the outline on the floor and on the wall. It's possible that bank of lockers had been buried behind a wall between the 1956 and 1957 school years.