The world is full of surprises hiding right beneath our noses—or sometimes, behind our walls. At one public school in Oklahoma, a century-old secret lay in wait until a construction crew knocked down walls during renovations, only to unveil chalkboards frozen in time from 1917. The discovery was so astonishing that news crews didn’t waste a second rushing to the scene.
A secret remained hidden for 100 years until construction workers began renovations. When they looked closer, they discovered something so unbelievable, news crews quickly came rushing to the site.
Nowadays, schools are all about those sleek, modern whiteboards, leaving chalkboards to gather dust in our collective memories. However, Emerson High School in Oklahoma City unearthed a gem when workers pulled back the walls lined with those relics. Beneath the layers were pristine, untouched slate boards dating back to 1917, The Washington Post reported.
Historians and the curious alike were handed an eyewitness account of life a hundred years ago. Scribbles, doodles, and detailed lessons from teachers and students were revealed, offering a glimpse into past academic life and curriculum, from Pilgrim lessons to cleanliness drills.
Imagine being taught multiplication by a wheel! One of the boards featured this elusive teaching tool, which left Principal Sherry Kishore and others in awe. “I have never seen that technique in my life,” Kishore told The Oklahoman. These chalkboards offered a time capsule from a time we can barely fathom today.
Delve deeper into this accidental archive, and you’d find artwork in the form of gorgeous cursive handwriting—a skill almost extinct nowadays. “The penmanship blows me away because you don’t see a lot of that anymore,” Kishore gushed. The craftsmanship of the words etched into these boards embodied a lost art. It wasn’t just the words but the techniques that painted a vivid picture of days gone by.
The sentiments written on the boards also provided a stark contrast to our current times. A particular quote, “I give my head, my heart, and my life to my God…” captured a different era’s ethos, making us ponder the vast changes society has undergone.
For Principal Kishore, the names and notes scrawled on these boards struck a significant chord. She wondered about the lives behind these writings—students who were either favored or had to complete extra chores due to misbehavior. You can’t help but feel the weight of history pressing in around you when looking at these ancient teachings and funnies.
When Kishore showed the chalkboards to her 85-year-old mother, the emotional response was instant. Her mother, transported back to her own school days, wept with nostalgia. “She said it was exactly like her classroom was when she was going to school,” Kishore recalled.
Emerson High School has undergone numerous renovations since its establishment in 1895, but none have led to a discovery as impactful as this. The reaction to the old chalkboards was overwhelmingly positive, leading the district to collaborate with the city to preserve these historical treasures. What a heartwarming notion that something so pure and evocative survives to remind us of our roots.
History seldom greets us with such intimacy. It sneaks up behind drywall, ready to astonish the occasional construction worker and bring a tear to an old woman’s eye. If anything, Emerson High School’s hidden chalkboards prove that sometimes, the best finds are the ones we never expected.
