Old School Museum gives visitors a visual time warp

By Ruth Ann Ruiz

The Post Newspaper Features Editor

Where did all the band uniforms, cheerleader uniforms and yearbooks and athletic trophies and all the other high school memorabilia end up hiding? 

Well, if you went to Santa Fe High School, you’re able to take a trip down memory lane at the Old School Museum. In fact, even if you didn’t go to SFHS, you can still take a walk down memory lane and see the styles typical for your high school years.  

Visiting the museum is an incredible time warp experience from the entry way with photos of the first schools, then weaving in and out of rooms filled with historic artifacts.  All items are donated by local individuals. Guests are currently allowed to touch and feel many of the items in the museum. This adds that extra dimension of feeling like you left 2021 and entered some other time.  

The building itself was the original Santa Fe High School built back in the late 1920’s, which cost a grand total of $42,000. The first graduating class in 1929 boasted seven graduates. Also, on display are some of the original auditorium seats and many other items from those first years. 

The museum hosts an extensive military uniform collection representing the many SFHS graduates who became members of the nation’s armed forces. 

Robert Bear, President of the Santa Fe Area Historic foundation, donated his Army uniform from the late 50’s. Bear is immensely proud of the museum’s military collection. 

“We have one of the largest collections of uniforms in the region,” said Bear. 

Bear graduated from SFHS in 1956 and was part of a graduating class had swelled to 39 students. He has been working as the keeper of local history for a couple of decades. His roles at the museum include curator, groundskeeper, tour guide, researcher, and writer. He does it all for the sheer joy of preserving history. “I have been fortunate to be involved in preserving our area history,” he said.  

Prom dresses from the 1950’s that were hand made by Shana Rawls’ grandmother are part of the museum’s collection. “My mom wore these and when I found them, and they were all wadded up with stains,” said Rawls, a SFHS graduate who speaks with delight as she shows the details of her grandmother’s sewing talents. 

Rawls, a lover of history, is a lifelong member of the Santa Fe Area Historic Foundation and volunteers at the museum two days a week. Researching data and combing through artifacts is her specialty.

Are you looking for your great-grandma’s high school yearbook? Do you remember her name and the year she graduated? If so, Carlos Ponce, a member of the Santa Fe Area Historic Foundation (and another SFHS graduate), can find her for you. He can find just about anyone’s photo and yearbook dating back as far as 1941. If you want a yearbook on a flash drive, that’s one of the services he provides for seekers of their family history. 

The museum is a source of joy for visitors. “Grey-haired ladies and gentlemen come in here and see something from when they were in school and their eyes fill with tears and they thank us for what we do here,” said Bear. Younger visitors find merriment in items from the past, especially in the telephone collection. On average about 20 visitors wander into the museum each month.  

Old School Museum is a joint effort with the Santa Fe Independent School District and the Santa Fe Area Historic Foundation. The museum is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00am to 3:00pm. There is no fee to come in and travel through history at Old School Museum. The costs of operating the museum are met through donations and membership dues.