Pin it on Tiny Tuesday
This miniscule pin is sterling silver with beveled edges and a red enamel face. The lettering is done in silver. The initials “JMM” on the face of the pin stand for James Madison Morton (1837-1923), the namesake of James Madison Morton Junior High school. A glowing torch rises from the middle of the first M. This pin was worn by the members of the Class of 1942.
The original red brick Morton Junior High opened in November 1926 and welcomed 1,100 students through its doors in the first year. The seventh, eighth, and nineth grade students had access to a library, cafeteria, modern science labs, numerous classrooms, and an auditorium that could seat 1,000 people. The original school was slated for demolition by 2011, and a new version was erected on the same land and opened to students in 2013.
Class pins were a staple for graduating students, as they were a small keepsake of their school days. This pin belonged to Betty Marianne (Munro) Welch; whose initials are engraved into the back of the pin.
Betty has been a longtime director of the FRHS, and has donated several pieces to our collection!