From the Archives: Can You Identify Members of the LHS Class of 1926?

The Lemont Area Historical Society  has generously offered to share photos and accompanying information with Patch readers each week, depicting people, places and things from the village’s storied past.

According to a book published by the historical society to commemorate Lemont’s 125th anniversary (1873-1998), Lemont Township High School was built in 1924 at a cost of $125,000. The 18,000 square-foot school featured eight classrooms, a study hall-library, a science laboratory, home economics lab and a gymnasium. The structure still stands (with numerous additions) on the 800 block of Porter Street.

The photo of the 1925 junior class at LHS was donated to the historical society without listing the names of the class members. Historical society sleuths tracked down a newspaper account that listed the students as they graduated from Lemont High School in1926, but so far, nobody has been able to match the names with the faces.

“Often we receive photos where the people are not identified and it is like a mystery waiting to be solved,” said a historical society member. “Case in point, this picture taken of the junior class of 1925 - we know the names but who is who is a question mark.”

Here are the names of the LHS Class of 1926, as featured in the newspaper:

Norbert P. Starshak, Dorothea Simmer, Carl G. Ahlberg, Clyde Phillip Schneider, Mae Ellen Wagner, Mildred Strand, Elizabeth Gerharz, Florence Nelson, Arthur Blesch, Vera M. Petzold, Florence E. Erickson, Florence F. Fischbach, Clara C. Cafferty, Rosemae Donahue, Edward Sniegowski, Gordon S. Bergland, Robert J. Gerharz, Garfield E. Strand, Martin Louis Boe, Howard A. Hasssert, Gertrude E. Nabicht, Eileen Hanrahan, Louise C. Kettman, Miriam Macauley and Mauritz L. Petersen.

The historical society is hoping that someone in the community can match the names to the faces of the Class of 1926. Can you help?

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Discover more about Lemont history at the historical society museum in the Old Stone Church at 306 Lemont St. The museum is open to the public and welcomes visitors. For more information, visit the LAHS web site at http://www.lemonthistorical.org/ or contact lemontahs@sbcglobal.net.

The Lemont Area Historical Society also invites readers to share their photos of Lemont’s past, to be added to the LAHS archives.

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