Purse to be returned to woman who lost it at school in 1954

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In early 2019, a construction crew found this purse that belonged to a student who attended Jeffersonville High School in Jeffersonville, Ind., in the mid-1950s. (Greater Clark County Schools)

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (AP) - A purse containing a prom invitation, photos and other items from 1950s America will be returned to its now 82-year-old owner after workers found it while demolishing part of an Indiana high school.

Martha Everett lost the black stitched purse more than six decades ago. Workers found it in January behind science classroom cabinets in the old Jeffersonville High School, where Everett was a senior in 1955.

Greater Clark County Schools spokeswoman Erin Bojorquez said the district was able to track Everett "thanks to the power of social media" after one of her relatives saw a Facebook post about the purse. The district plans to mail the purse to Everett's home in Florida.

The News and Tribune reported that its contents included a wallet, a letter inviting her to the prom, lipstick, photos and Juicy Fruit gum wrappers.