Ancestor Bio – Ethel May Carr Newcomb (1885-1977)

52 Ancestors – Week 2018-09
By Don Taylor

Photo of Don Taylor with cat Nasi.Ethel May Carr was born, raised, and married in Somerville, Massachusetts. After marriage, she and her husband settled in Hingham, Massachusetts for several years. After their four children were born, she and her husband moved to Maine, first to Portland then out to Peak’s Island. She was widowed at the age of 71 and died 21 years later at the age of 92.

Blanchard Project 2018 – Ancestor BU11

List of Grandparents

  • Grandmother: Priscella May Newcomb
  • 1st Great-grandmother: Ethel May Carr
  • 2nd Great-grandfather: John Harvey Carr

Ethel May Carr Newcomb (1885-1977)

Ethel May Carr was born on 23 Sep 1885 in Somerville, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. She was one of 14 children of John Harvey and Mary Ann (O’Mara) Carr. I have not discovered information on three of Ethel’s siblings that died before 1900, but her other ten siblings are:

Name Born Died
Berlada Laura Carr [Newcomb]*[i] 1874 1959
James Joseph Carr 1875 1895
William Harvey Carr 1877
Peter E Carr 1880 1906
John C Carr 1882
Jennie L Carr 1882 1883
Arthur H Carr 1883
Charles F Carr 1888
George Putney Carr 1889 1889
Ralph S Carr 1891

Certainly, six siblings who died young would have had a significant impact on her life. Adding to that tragedy in her life was the death of her father, John Harvey Carr, sometime before 1900. Her mother is identified as a widow and head of household in the 1900 Census.

Marriage

When she was 17, she married Horace Upton Newcomb, son of Alexander Newcomb and Amelia Jane Allen, on 07 Sep 1903 in Somerville, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Geo. Whitaker, Minister of the Gospel, from Cambridge, MA, performed the ceremony.

Ethel and Horace were blessed with four children, namely:

  • Horace Arthur Newcomb
  • Priscilla May Newcomb
  • Theodore H Newcomb
  • Hugh Earl Newcomb

In contrast to her mother, Ethel only saw the death of one of her children; Hugh died in 1960 at the age of 50.

Shortly after their marriage Ethel and Horace moved to Hingham, MA. Sometime after 1910 and before 1918, Ethel and Horace moved to Maine. They lived at 14 North Street, Portland.

The 1920 Census indicates that they lived at 144 North Street. At first, I thought there might be a mistake in their address. However, I learned that the current 14 North Street was built in 1920. Today, 144 North Street is another much newer building, so I suspect they did live at both those addresses, but neither building still exist.

In 1927, Ethel and Horace acquired property on Peaks Island. The couple lived on Peaks Island until the death of Horace in 1956. After Horace’s death, Ethel moved to the mainland and in 1957 lived at 7 Avon Place in Portland.

Story

Although Ethel was born in the United States, women who married aliens took on the citizenship of their spouse. So, the effect of marrying Horace was that she became a Canadian Citizen. She renounced and abjured allegiance to King Edward and became a citizen of the United States once again on 7 April 1936. Her husband became a citizen of the United States nine months later, on 5 January 1937.

Death

Marker – Horace U & Ethel M Newcomb

Ethel died in Brunswick, Maine on 19 March 1977 at the age of 91. She was buried with Horace at Brooklawn Memorial Park in Portland.



Sources:

  • 1900 Census (FS), Family Search, Mary Carr – Somerville, Middlesex, Massachusetts – ED 929, Sheet 10. “United States Census, 1900,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M9TX-8KW : accessed 19 February 2018), Ralph S Carr in household of Mary Carr, Somerville city Ward 2, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 929, sheet 10B, family 208, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,665. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M9TX-8KW.
  • 1910 Census (NARA), Family Search, Horace Newcomb – Hingham, Plymouth, Massachusetts. “United States Census, 1910,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M2K8-RN7 : accessed 13 October 2017), Horace Newcomb, Hingham, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 1217, sheet 18A, family 427, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 612; FHL microfilm 1,374,625.
  • 1920 Census (NARA), Family Search, Horace W Newcomb – Portland, Cumberland, Maine, United States. “United States Census, 1920,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFZ8-CSZ : accessed 13 October 2017), Horace W Newcomb, Portland Ward 1, Cumberland, Maine, United States; citing ED 28, sheet 3A, line 40, family 57, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 639; FHL microfilm 1,820,639.
  • Find a Grave, Find A Grave, Ethyl May Carr Newcomb (1885-1977) – Memorial 132642017. Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 19 February 2018), memorial page for Ethel May Carr Newcomb (23 Sep 1885–19 Mar 1977), Find A Grave Memorial no. 132642017, citing Brooklawn Memorial Park, Portland, Cumberland County, Maine, USA ; Maintained by townsendburial (contributor 47629974). https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/132642017#.
  • Find a Grave, Find A Grave, Horace Upton Newcomb – Memorial #132641945. https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=132641945.
  • Find a Grave, Find A Grave, Theodore H. Newcomb, Sr. (1907-1986). Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 16 December 2017), memorial page for Theodore H. Newcomb, Sr (1907–1986), Find A Grave Memorial no. 168925076, citing Melrose Cemetery, Brockton, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, USA ; Maintained by Jody Payne (contributor 47680228). https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/168925076/theodore-h.-newcomb.
  • Maine, Federal Naturalization Records, 1787-1952, Ancestry, Ethel May Newcomb – Petition. Source Citation – National Archives at Boston; Waltham, Massachusetts; ARC Title: Petitions and Records of Naturalization, 1790 – 11/1945; Record Group Title: Records of District Courts of the United States, 1685-2009; Record Group Number: RG 21. https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?viewrecord=1&r=an&db=MENaturalizationRecordsOrigs&indiv=try&h=1081569.
  • Maine, Federal Naturalization Records, 1787-1952, Ancestry, Horace Upton Newcomb – Petition. Source Citation National Archives at Boston; Waltham, Massachusetts; ARC Title: Petitions and Records of Naturalization, 1790 – 11/1945; Record Group Title: Records of District Courts of the United States, 1685-2009; Record Group Number: RG 21. https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?viewrecord=1&r=an&db=MENaturalizationRecordsOrigs&indiv=try&h=1081569.
  • Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-­1915, Priscilla May Newcomb. Citing this Record “Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639­1915,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F429­CF8 : 4 December 2014), Priscilla May Newcomb, 06 Aug 1905; citing , 18­13; FHL microfilm 2,080,164.
  • Massachusetts Births, 1841-1915, Family Search, Horace Arthur Newcomb – 5 Dec 1903. “Massachusetts Births, 1841-1915,” database with images, FamilySearch : 1 March 2016), Horace V. Newcomb in entry for Horace Arthur Newcomb, 05 Dec 1903, Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts; citing reference ID #p 309, Massachusetts Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 2,057,436. https://(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FXFK-CG6.
  • Massachusetts Births, 1841-1915, Family Search, Hugh Earl Newcomb. “Massachusetts Births, 1841-1915,” database with images, FamilySearch ( : 9 August 2017), Hugh Earl Newcomb, 20 Dec 1909, , Hingham, Massachusetts, United States; citing reference ID #p 184 no77, Massachusetts Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 2,315,253. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FXJN-V2N.
  • Massachusetts Births, 1841-1915, Family Search, Theodore Harvey Newcomb – 19 Aug 1907. “Massachusetts Births, 1841-1915,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FXJQ-PNN : 1 March 2016), Theodore Harvey Newcomb, 19 Aug 1907, Hingham, , Massachusetts; citing reference ID #52, Massachusetts Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 2,315,133.
  • Massachusetts Marriages, 1841-1915, Family Search, Horace Newcomb & Ethel May Carr. “Massachusetts Marriages, 1841-1915,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N44B-531 : 30 July 2017), Horace Allen Newcomb and Ethel May Carr, 07 Sep 1903; citing , Somerville, Massachusetts, United States, State Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 2,057,588.
  • Social Security Death Index (SSA), Family Search, Ethel Newcomb [Carr] (1885-1977). Source Citation
Number: 004-64-6432; Issue State: Maine; Issue Date: 1973. https://Ancestry.com.
  • S. City Directories, 1822-1995, Ancestry, Portland, Maine – 1957 – Page 520 – Newcomb. Original data: Original sources vary according to directory. The title of the specific directory being viewed is listed at the top of the image viewer page. Check the directory title page image for full title and publication information. https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?viewrecord=1&r=an&db=USDirectories&indiv=try&h=901185029.
  • United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, Family Search, Horace Upton Newcomb – Portland, Cumberland, Maine. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZFY-G9Z.

Endnotes

[i] Interestingly enough, 11 years after Horace and Ethel were married, Horace’s brother, Hugh, and Ethel’s sister, Berlada, were married. It was Berlada’s second marriage.

Posted in Blanchard | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Donna Darling Collection – Part 24

Cecil Theater – Mason City, Iowa

Treasure Chest Thursday
By Don Taylor

For this week’s Treasure Chest Tuesday, I’m looking at two clippings from the Donna Darling Collection

Cecil Theater Clipping – Donna Darling and Girls

Key features:

  • The venue is the Cecil Theater in Mason City, Iowa
  • The show is the “Donna Darling and Girls”.
  • Also on bill
    • La France & Co., “World’s Greatest Head Balancers”
    • P. Wilson and Addie “As you like it”
    • Kelly and Carseth in “Days of ’95 and ‘25”
    • Flo Jordan and Boys in “A Whirl – A Twirl, and a Girl”
    • On The Screen – Betty Compson in “Ramshackle House”

In the clippings is also an article, “Musical Comedy Cecil Headliner.” It reads:

Musical Comedy Cecil Headliner

Head balancing Act Also on Vaudeville Program for This Week-End.

The Cecil theater vaudeville program is to be given today and Sunday shows more than ordinary promise. The five stage acts from the Orpheum circuit include several that should appeal to Mason City theater goers.

The Cecil will have a pretentious headliner on the vaudeville stage today in Donna Darling and Girls in songs and steps, a bevy of beautiful musical comedy beauties in the presentation of the latest songs and dances. Miss Darling is a former star with Flo Zeigfield and Chin Chin revue and is assisted by a number of lovely young women who present a routine of the latest popular catchy song numbers and also the latest dances. Special stage setting enhance the beauty of the offerings.

George P. Wilson is a woman hater and he voices his trials and tribulations with the fair sex from the vaudeville stage in a monologue he offers many special song numbers that are crammed with laughs. There is a genuine surprise in his sketch, “As You Life [sic] It.”

Analysis

Luckily, the article mentions Mason City and a search found there are three places with the name, only Mason City, Iowa had a Cecil theater.

A search of IMDB found that “Ramshackle House,” starring Betty Compson was released on 31 August 1924. Movies at that time typically only had a three or four-month life, so I expect that Donna’s show at the Cecil probably took place in between September and December 1924.

Very little is known about Donna’s schedule in 1924. She probably played in Louisville, Kentucky in August, and Wisconsin in November and December. So, she was definitely in the right part of the country to have played in Mason City in September, October, or November 1924.

A search of Newspapers.com, Genealogy Bank, Newspaper Archives, Ancestry, Chronicling America, Old Fulton Postcards and other sites suggested by The Ancestor Hunt yielded nothing to further identify exactly when Donna played in Mason City.  Additionally, Chronicling America does not indicate that any libraries include holdings of “The Mason City globe-gazette and Mason City daily times” for 1924.

Conclusion

Between Sep and Dec 1924 – Cecil Theater – Mason City, IA – Donna Darling and Girls

Actions

Determine what repositories may have archive records of 1924 “Mason City globe-gazette and Mason City daily times” newspapers that were published from 1918 to 1929.

Posted in Donna Montran, Treasure Chest Thursday, Vaudeville | Tagged | Leave a comment

“Chin Chin” at Liberty Theater, Camp Sherman, Ohio

Donna Montran and “Chin Chin” played at the Liberty Theatre, Camp Sherman, (Chillicothe), Ohio on 4 April 1920

Vaudeville/Chin-Chin
By Don Taylor

Photo of Don Taylor with cat Nasi.“Chin Chin” played at the Grand Opera House in Canton, Ohio on April 1st. It is not clear if they played anywhere on April 2nd or 3rd, but the cast and crew arrived to perform at the Liberty Theatre at Camp Sherman, (Chillicothe) Ohio on April 4th, 1920.

Show Advertising

Even though the show was on a military base, advertising was like most cities that the show went to. I have been unable to find base papers, handbills, or programs, so all I have seen came from the Chillicothe Gazette, the nearby town’s newspaper. There was a typical “Chin-Chin” advertisement showing Walter Wills and Roy Binder about five days before the show. Long thin column ads ran on April 1st and 2nd mentioning that the show sold out in many locations before and those that want to see the show should get their tickets right away.

On the day before the show, another “Chin-Chin” ad ran in the Chillicothe Gazette showing the “Pekin Girls.”

There were no reviews nor was there any after show information regarding the show.

Liberty Theater, Camp Sherman

Liberty Theater, Camp Sherman

In the spring of 1917, the loss of seven ships and related heavy loss of American lives spurred president Woodrow Wilson to request of Congress a declaration of war against Germany. The declaration was approved on 6 April 1917, and America entered the war.[i]

A massive construction program created by the War Department resulted in the simultaneous nation-wide construction of 16 new National Army cantonments and 16 new Army National Guard training camps.

Approximately 5,000 workers had arrived by 5 July 1917, and construction started the next day.[ii] During the war construction never ended. There were 13 contracts for building during the war and there was constant expansion until Armistice Day. Besides barracks, the Camp included 11 YMCA buildings and three theaters.  Two for motion pictures and one building, the Liberty Theatre, that could do both motion pictures and live shows.

The theater was completed by December 1917. Most sources I have found indicate it had a seating capacity of 1,300 people,[iii] however, the Julius Cahn – Gus Hill 1922 Supplement indicates the seating capacity was 2,500. All agree that it was managed by a civilian.

Most of the Camp’s buildings were demolished during the 1920s.

Camp Sherman

Image of Woodrow Wilson created by 21,000 officers and men. Camp Sherman 1918. Photo: Public Domain via Library of Congress.

Camp Sherman is particularly well known for a formation they did consisting of 21,000 troops that formed an image of Woodrow Wilson. It is one of those truly amazing Great War photos.

The next day, the “Chin Chin” cast and crew played 150 miles north of Chillicothe at the  Sandusky Theater in Sandusky, Ohio.

 


Endnotes

[i] Camp Sherman, Ohio: History of a World War I Training Camp by Susan I. Enscore, Adam D. Smith, and Megan W. Tooker – Published by US Army Corps of Engineers – ERDC/CERL TR-15-25 – December 2015. Page 24

[iii] History of the Ohio State University – Volume IV, The University in the Great War, Part III, In the Camps and at the Front by Wilbur H. Siebert.

Posted in 1919-20 - Chin Chin, Donna Montran, Great War, Vaudeville | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Surname Saturday – Taft

Roberts/Barnes/Taft Line
by Don Taylor

Photo of Don Taylor with cat Nasi.I was surprised to learn that I know of more ancestors with the surname of Taft in my Roberts Line than any other surname, including Roberts. Only my Mannin(g) and Wolcott ancestors, which are on my Brown line, are more numerous.

Name Origin

Taft is an English name coming from a variant of Old and Middle English word “toft,” meaning a yard enclosing a residence[i], a curtilage, or homestead. It was also applied to a low hillock where a homestead used to be.[ii]

Geographical

Nearly 12,000 of the 13,500 Tafts in the world live in the United States. The highest concentration of Tafts is on the Island of Jersey, a dependency of the United Kingdom in the English Channel (close to France). Today, there are over 1,000 Tafts in both New York and California. There are only 59 people with the Taft surname here in Maine. I wonder if their ancestors came to Maine as mine went to New York in the 1700s. I’ll have to look at that sometime.

My Ancestors

Photo of President William Henry Taft

“Cousin Bill” (William Henry Taft) – Photo courtesy Library of Congress

Taft is a very famous name in American history. Probably the most famous Taft is my 5th cousin, four times removed, William Howard Taft, the 27th President of the United States and the 10th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. He is the only person to have held both offices. You don’t find cousins any more illustrious than “Cousin Bill.”

I haven’t researched Robert, Benjamin, or Stephen Taft enough to understand their immigration. Certainly, they came from Europe and probably England during the Great Migration of the mid-1600s. Silas Taft, my 5th great-grandfather was born in Massachusetts colony in 1744 and died in New York in 1812.

The 1840 Census indicated that there were no Taft families in Indiana, however my 3rd great-grandfather, Joel Cruff Taft died there in 1849. I know he had lived in New York, during the 1820s, before he went to Indiana. Twenty-five percent of the Tafts in the United States lived in New York in 1840 and over 1/3 of the Tafts resided in Massachusetts. So, it appears that my Tafts followed a typical migration west – Massachusetts to upstate New York, west to Indiana with some going further west again.

My Great Taft Ancestors

  • 1st Great-grandfather: Joel Clinton Barnes (1857-1921)
  • 2nd Great-grandmother: Mercy Eliza Taft (1822-1884)
  • 3rd Great-grandfather: Joel Cruff Taft (1800-1849)
  • 4th Great-grandfather: Asa Taft (1774-1839)
  • 5th Great-grandfather: Silas Taft (1744-1812)
  • 6th Great-grandfather: Stephen Taft (1710-1803)
  • 7th Great-grandfather: Benjamin Taft
  • 8th Great-grandfather: Robert Taft

My known Taft relatives.

My records have 259 known, direct-line descendants of Robert Taft identified over fourteen generations, which is about 9% of my known Roberts/Brown Tree. Mercy Taft, who married Nelson Barnes in 1839, had nine siblings who I haven’t had a chance to research yet.


[amazon_link asins=’0805069542,0516229672′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’dtaygen-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’4ac2641e-124f-11e8-af17-91ac5d698e67′]


Sources

[i] Internet: Forbears – Taft Surname Meaning & Statistics – https://forebears.io/surnames/taft accessed 14 Feb 2018

[ii] Internet: Ancestry – Taft Family History – Taft Name Meaning – https://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=Taft accessed 14 Feb 2018

Posted in Roberts, Surname Saturday | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Schools I’ve Attended – Osseo High School

My Life
Those Places Thursday
By Don Taylor

During the summer of 1965, my stepfather decided to sell the house in North Minneapolis and build a new home in Brooklyn Park. Brooklyn Park is a second-tier suburb about ten miles northwest of Minneapolis. I believe Budgar was the first to buy in a development called “Sager’s Acres.” In any event, as is often the case with new construction, building completion was delayed. The house on Bryant Avenue sold and we needed a place to live. We ended up renting a dwelling on Lowry Avenue in Minneapolis between Lyndale and Aldrich Avenue. I registered for school at Osseo with the expectation that we’d move to the new house before school started. No such luck. Somehow, we were able to find an Osseo teacher who lived in North Minneapolis and who would give me a ride to and from school until the house in Brooklyn Park was completed. I’m not sure, but I think I rode with the teacher for about a month, maybe two.  I wish I could remember her name and thank her for the rides.

Osseo Then

Osseo High School, New Wing – Source: 1967 Osseo Yearbook

Osseo was an old farming town that was experiencing the pains of massive growth. The school district (Independent School District #279) was an area consisting of Osseo, Brooklyn Park, Maple Grove, and parts of Brooklyn Center and several other towns. The original building was built in 1928. More classrooms and a lunchroom were added in 1949 and more classrooms again were added in 1957. In 1959 a gymnasium was added. In 1961 a major expansion was added and in 1964 another major expansion was added. With one of the expansions, the old part of the building was designated the Junior High portion of the school and the new expansions were designated the high school part of the building. I started at Osseo in the fall of 1965. As I recall, all of the high school classes were in the two new expansion wings of the school. The newly built gym and the cafeteria were used by the High School.  Osseo had the worst lunches ever. Just plain horrible. One meal I remember vividly was toast with a blob of spaghetti-like mix on top with a little cheese melted on top that they called “pizza.” They were also trying to be healthy, so they took chips and good things out of the machines and replaced them with apples, oranges, and other “healthy” foods. In my junior year, the Junior High students moved to a new building nearby and the old building became a newly established Junior College. Needless to say, our attitude changed greatly when we learned that they had student lounges and more adult facilities. They also had good food in their machines. Occasionally, we’d sneak around the building, enter the Junior College, and buy goodies out of their machines.

Foster Home

In the spring of 1966, I got into a big row with my stepfather. He and my mother had been fighting, which typically occurred when he had been drinking, and I broke it up and beating him until I got tired. He made it be known that he would kill me in my sleep for it, so I decided it was time to leave. After a few weeks on the street, I was arrested for trespassing (Two other runaways and I were sleeping in a model home at night.) Budgar didn’t want me back, so I was ruled incorrigible. I was lucky enough to be sent to a foster home in Brooklyn Center (not a group home) and I was able to continue at Osseo High. It was while living in the foster home I met my best friend, Doug, who lived a few blocks away from the Olson’s house on Perry Avenue.

Osseo Interests

Don Taylor junior class photo, 1967

Junior Class Photo – 1967

I was in the audio-visual group, chess club, computer club, and was seen as a generally geeky, nerdy, kid.  I was over six feet tall and under 150 pounds –skinny. I did well in high school and never needed to study to get a “B.” If I really liked a class and I decided to work for it I’d get an “A.”  At that time, they gave students two grades, the standard A to F letter grades for academics and a “Citizenship” grade from 1 to 3; three was a “misfit.” The vast majority of students received a “2,” meaning “Satisfactory.” Once, I receive an A-3. Academically superior but a misfit.  It was Spanish class. My teacher was from Boston and couldn’t trill an “r.” I, however, could trill my “r’s” and would correct the teacher’s pronunciation regularly. She was really frustrated with me. Basically, if I liked a teacher, I did well in school, if I didn’t like a teacher, I cut up constantly and did poorly.

Senior Photo – 1968

I didn’t do anything in the way of sports in high school.  Living in the foster home, I didn’t receive any type allowance or income, but my foster parents encouraged me to work to earn money. I worked at several different jobs during high school. I was a fry cook at a greasy-spoon restaurant in Crystal called Marty’s Grill. Doug worked there also. We were both stiffed on our pay when the place went out of business. I also at International House of Pancakes (IHOP), Sweden House, a smorgasbord (buffet) in Crystal and several different Embers Restaurants. I also worked at a large Holiday gas station in Crystal. (My best friend Doug worked there too.) Twelve years later, when I got out of the Navy, Doug and I also worked together at TRW in Arden Hills. So, we actually worked at three places at the same time over the many years of our friendship.

While I was living at the foster home, I really needed and wanted a driver’s license. In order to get one, I needed to get a copy of my birth certificate. That is when I learned that my birth surname was Taylor. A name I had never heard before. It was shortly after that when I changed my name. My foster parents couldn’t put me on their insurance, so in order to afford insurance, I decided to try to move back with my mother, who truly missed me. Budgar and I were able to co-exist for much of my senior year. However, once I graduated, Budgar want me gone so I moved into a small house in Northeast Minneapolis with a couple friends.

Osseo Today

Image of Osseo High School Today (from air) source Google Maps.

Osseo High Today – Source: Google Maps

Today, Independent School District 279 serves Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Corcoran, Dayton, Hassan Township, Maple Grove, Osseo, and Plymouth. It has 19 elementary schools (K-5), four middle schools (6-8), three high schools, including Osseo, and an area learning center (9-12). Osseo High School is a four-year school with a huge campus. The old 1924 building with the 1935 and 1948 additions were demolished for a new gymnasium. The 1959 gym was converted to a new cafeteria in 2002 along with adding new office spaces. From 2002 to 2005 the exterior was renovated. Finally, in 2014-2015, more classrooms were added along with a choral rehearsal room. Frankly, I don’t think I’d recognize the school today as the same one I attended 50 years ago.

It has been 50 years since I graduated from Osseo. I hope there is a reunion. I’d love to see the old school and possibly catch up with some old friends.

 

Posted in My History, Those Places Thursday | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment