For our third year of the Clinton County: Fun in the ʼ50s project, we are digitizing slides that James Ostler took at Clinton County schools and school reunions in the 1950s. We have enjoyed looking at the pictures as we digitize them. It is interesting to see how things have both changed and remained the same. We especially like looking at pictures that were taken around the holidays. Among the slides that we have digitized thus far, we have found pictures of a Frankfort High School Orchestra performance taken at one of the grade schools around Thanksgiving in 1957. (We aren’t sure which grade school. The boxes are labeled Lincoln, but in the background of one of the pictures is a sign that says “Kyger.”) We have also found slides taken at Lincoln School at Christmas time in 1958. We are intrigued by the Christmas decoration in the picture above and would love to hear the story behind this interesting trimming.
By scanning the slides taken at Jackson High School dances (1956–59) and talking to a member of the community, we learned that Jackson had an annual New Year’s Eve dance. Apparently, this was a big social event not only for the students, but also for many of the adults in the community. The women talked, watched the dancers in their finery, and served food while the men played cards on card tables set up next to the coat racks. The bulk of the decorations were made up of people’s Christmas trees stripped of all their decorations.
If you remember the Jackson High School dances or any of the other events mentioned here, we would love to hear from you. You can share your memories with us by calling (765) 654-8746 or stopping by the library and speaking with Jill Garrison, our genealogy coordinator.
To see images digitized as a part of the Clinton County: Fun in the ʼ50s project, visit the Indiana Memory website. This project is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the Indiana State Library. The IMLS is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 35,000 museums. Its mission is to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement.
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