A project years in the making is now on display at Crawford County Community Schools as the Crawford County High School athletic department prepares for the district’s upcoming 50th anniversary celebration.
School officials recently unveiled a permanent athletic history display in the fieldhouse lobby that highlights decades of sports achievements from the county’s former high schools. The exhibit recognizes the history of the four schools that later consolidated to form Crawford County High School during the 1976 to 1977 school year.
The display includes several historic championship trophies and team photos that have been digitally preserved. Among them are sectional championship trophies from Marengo in 1947 and 1957, Leavenworth in 1967, and Milltown in 1976. The collection also includes Milltown’s 1970 basketball sectional and regional championship trophy and the 1971 Milltown baseball sectional title.
Another portion of the display highlights the long running Crawford County Basketball Tournament, which was played 29 times before consolidation. Information about each tournament champion is presented through signage located beside the display cases, and organizers have also assembled an almost complete set of tournament trophies dating from 1929 through 1976.
Community members contributed many of the items now featured in the exhibit. School officials said several pieces took years to track down and recover, adding to the historical significance of the project.
The display includes separate sections dedicated to each of the former high schools that once served the county.
Artifacts from English High School include a 1961 honor jacket, an English basketball jersey, a baseball uniform, cheer pom poms, an English High School pennant, and a 1957 yearbook. The display also features the 1961 BRAC championship trophy along with various tournament trophies and other memorabilia.
Items from Leavenworth High School include the 1967 basketball sectional trophy, a complete Leavenworth basketball uniform, honor jackets from 1968, 1971, and 1976, a basketball warm up top, and the 1967 Tell City Invitational championship trophy. Also included are track ribbons, tournament programs, and a signed 1967 sectional basketball program.
The Marengo High School display highlights two basketball sectional championship trophies from 1947 and 1957 along with a 1931 champion plaque. The exhibit also includes Marengo basketball jerseys, a cheer uniform from the 1970s, multiple honor jackets, a Marengo Cavemen basketball warm up, a 1962 yearbook, and a history book documenting the school’s athletic history from the 1920s through the 1970s. Other items include a pennant, a baseball cap, a commemorative basketball, and various plaques and programs.
The Milltown High School section includes the 1970 basketball sectional and regional championship trophy, the 1971 baseball sectional trophy, and the 1976 basketball sectional trophy. The exhibit also features a 1970 Sweet Sixteen ring, basketball scorebooks from the 1970 and 1976 sectional seasons, Milltown warm up tops, a home basketball jersey, a 1968 cheer sweater, and honor jackets. Programs from the 1970 regional and semi state tournament are also included along with memorabilia connected to longtime coach Ron Ferguson.
The project was made possible through contributions from local businesses and community members. MasterBrand Cabinets donated the display cabinets, while Thomas Glass provided glass work for the cases. Signage for the exhibit was created with assistance from Logo’s.
Several staff members also played a key role in bringing the exhibit together. Gym staff members Kevin Broughton and Doug Pearson helped locate historic items that had been missing for years. Middle school teacher Pam Holzbog assisted in designing the display cases with help from TJ Wolf and Trena Broughton. School administrators also assisted with locating items and supporting the effort.
The display is now permanently located in the fieldhouse lobby at Crawford County High School where visitors, students, and alumni can view the collection of trophies, uniforms, programs, and memorabilia that document decades of Crawford County athletics.
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