I mentioned in my previous post that the high school started as a school for girls looking to become Sisters of St. Francis in the 1930's. It began in both the Motherhouse and the St. Clare Hall buildings (now a day care.) It evolved into a Catholic school for all girls, eventually taking over 85% of the basement of the Motherhouse, and closing in 2011. I have met some wonderful alumni throughout the course of this project and I love hearing their stories and looking through their yearbooks! Most of this post can only tell their story through those yearbook photos.
Disclaimer: I probably should have formally scanned the yearbooks on a flat surface, but I only captured them with my iPhone camera. Please forgive any imperfections! The cover photo was taken in the Motherhouse and appeared in the 1949 Alvernian yearbook, you can tell by the wooden window shutters, they don't exist in any other building!
One of the things I noticed as I documented decades of yearbooks, was the typing and chemistry lab rooms appeared in almost every edition! That makes it easy to compare the changes through the years!
It's been 74 years since 1949 and 3/4 of a decade since 1950. These snippets in time of life at Mt. Alvernia High School are so valuable. Most, if not all, of the girls in these photos are already gone from this life. But the buildings (and some of the trees) remain. And these photos.
Note the bell tower had slats instead of windows. The crosses were removed at the first sale. The fourth floor had the original windows. Plants were in other windows, and some were open to let the breezes in. The altar remained in place and very few ever saw the stained glass window in the curved hallway behind it. The priests' dining room, in the next to last photo, was obviously utilized by the school at one time, or the girls were helping prepare for an event. It's one of my favorite rooms. And lastly, graduates look out over Millvale anticipating a future that's already been lived.
I was blessed to be able to look through these yearbooks and pick out some favorites to share. Here's what the Home Economics room (those vintage cabinets!), Library, and hallways look today. I'd also love to know what color the staircases used to be - obviously not black!
The 1990's weren't too exciting for the yearbooks, as not much of the building is visible as in other decades of photography. (They had a male photographer at one time!) But you'll notice the uniforms changed, or they weren't worn at all. I did find the only photo I've seen of activity in the dorm rooms! That photo looks like it was taken in the infirmary (second floor of the Motherhouse.) I would love to dive into more yearbooks!
Not mentioned in any yearbook, or anywhere, are these carvings in a basement storage room. The alumni had never seen them. Someone said a maintenance man carved them, another said one of the Sisters did. They remain a mystery!
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