LEAVITTSBURG - A musical group from Leavittsburg High School in the 1950s and early 1960s entertained guest and presented a picture of the original members of the group to the Leavittsburg Heritage Museum during the summer reunion picnic.
The Leavitteers sang several songs at a recent reunion attended by more than 250 people, and at a picnic attended by more than 100 people held for the graduating classes of 1959 to 1970 from Leavittsburg High School.
The quartet started in the 1950s and continued until 1962. Twelve members were part of the group with some able to attend the event. Member Allen Ryan said the photo is of the 12 members who were part of the group from 1959 to 1960.
"I've had the picture since high school and wanted to give it to the museum," he said.
Shirley Combs of the Downtown Leavittsburg Improvement / Historical Association said, "People have brought a lot of memorabilia to the museum to have. It's always nice to get the items for display."
The weekend event also included tours of LaBrae High School, where photos of graduating classes are on display. A picnic followed at the museum, where alumni could see school pictures, yearbooks and memorabilia.
Combs said the association formed in 1996 when a group of concerned citizens wanted to improve the appearance of the downtown area. She said one of the main projects taken on by the group was the addition of street lights to the area.
The museum became a reality in 1998 with the museum opening dedicated in May 2010.
Combs said plans are to landscape and pave the drive area around the museum and pave the parking lot. Another goal is to construct a replica of the train station that once stood in Leavittsburg. The building will be used to house part of the museum memorabilia as well as serve as a storage area.
The group also hopes to restore the lamp post that once stood in front of the high school and have it placed next to the museum.
Combs said the museum is open from 2 to 4 p.m. the third Sunday of the month.
Wendy Johnson of Leavittsburg said at the high school are pictures of the graduating classes from 1917 to 2011. Johnson said Nancy Bee gave graduation composites to the LaBrae school board.
''One hundred fifteen pictures hang proudly in our hallways featuring 8,431 students,'' Johnson said.
She said high schools are known for displaying historical artifacts and pictures in their buildings so communities can show their accomplishments.
''When talks of demolishing both Braceville and Leavittsburg high schools were made public, several people banded together to save as many historically valued items as they could. Trophies, plaques, pennants and any other salvageable items were removed from the schools. An auction later was held to sell more items, and residents purchased several in case a museum was ever built,'' Johnson said.
The Leavittsburg Heritage Association contains school memorabilia.
Richard and Nancy Bee made the effort to save all the graduation pictures from both schools. The LaBrae School Board agreed the older composites were valuable and had Matt Miller, owner of Image Arts Inc., reframe and hang them in the new high school. Miller also computerized missing class composites from personal yearbooks and photos.
Johnson said combining Leavittsburg and Braceville schools in 1971 made graduating classes too large to have individual pictures in a single frame. Some senior classes were photographed in the gymnasium, which shows the prevailing styles of the times.
The project took seven years to finish, but all classes from 1917 to 2011 are displayed. Visitors can contact High School Principal Rocco Adduci to view the pictures.