High School Unearths 100-Year-Old Secret Behind The Classroom Walls

An Oklahoma high school made an unusual archeological discovery recently when they decided to do renovations to their classrooms.

Emerson High School began replacing their old chalk boards with white boards. When construction workers began pulling them off the walls they were shocked to find another set of chalkboards underneath. They had been untouched for nearly 100 years! There were drawings and writing on the slate boards that date from 1917.

It appears that when earlier renovations were done back in 1917, rather than remove the old slate boards, new chalk boards were simply fastened over top of the old ones, preserving the student and teacher scribblings and drawings underneath.

English teacher Cinthea Comer told The Oklahoman, “It was so eerie because the colors were so vibrant it looked like it was drawn the same day. To know that it was drawn 100 years ago… it’s like you’re going into a looking glass into the past.”

She was also surprised by a wheel that teaches multiplications, a technique she had never seen before.

The chalk boards have beautifully preserved writing and drawings.

There’s work from kids and teachers alongside each others and several boards have lessons on pilgrims.

It looks like students were being taught early American history around Thanksgiving.

The penmanship is beautiful and one teacher pointed out that young students today cannot do the cursive handwriting that the students from 100 years ago could do.

“Do, Re, Me, Fa, So, La Te, Do” They were learning musical notes, just like they did in Sound of Music!

It’s such an unusual historical find that the school and Oklahoma state plan on preserving it.

Share this interesting slice of American history with your friends!