I’ve lost so many things over the years including articles of clothing like my favorite jean jacket, a few smartphones and definitely a wallet or two. I’m actually so good at it, that I most certainly do it at least once a day. I’ll put down my glasses then walk around in circles or go up and down the stairs trying to find them, only to realize I’m actually wearing them or I’ve already packed them away in my purse.
I’ve definitely lost a couple of purses too. Especially the small clutches that you can hold under your arm or with one hand. These are really easy to lose sight of because they are small and if they’re a dark fabric, they blend in and poof! Gone. This is something 81-year-old Marty Ingham can relate to all too well!
What was once a high school in Jeffersonville, Indiana, is now a construction site. As crews got to work tearing down the old building, something stuck out that was rather interesting. In pristine condition, a purse was found. This wasn’t a new-looking purse nor did it appear to somehow get lost in the demolition site. This purse had been buried for 65 years, lost since the mid-1950s.
There’s no question about who it belonged to either. Inside was a wallet with identification! There was even a compact, a tube of lipstick and sweet notes from not one or two, but three boys! An employee from the Great Clark County Schools took the discovery to social media and they were able to locate the owner, Marty Ingham now Marty Everett, living in Florida–over 1,000 miles away!
The notes were from boys asking the pretty brunette teenager to prom. Even more surprising is how well-preserved the letters are, even after all those years. Marty is delighted at how her purse magically reappeared into her life, but even more thrilled to read these letters decades later. “If you think about it, these boys wrote letters and you would never see that today. They would text you, you know, so that’s such a big difference,” Marty says.
It’s such a sweet sentimental journey for Marty. A moment in time where she can reminisce! Along with the basic necessities of every teenage girl, there were also prom pictures and of course a stick of gum. Juicy Fruit gum that’s 65-years old, to be exact!
Click below to go on a little walk down memory lane!
