North Andover Historical Society Hopes To Solve Photo Mystery

NORTH ANDOVER, MA — The North Andover Historical Society hopes to solve a photo mystery. Members recently received a 106-year-old photograph, and they're eager to learn more about it — especially who the people pictured in it are.

According to the historical society, the photo is of the Bradstreet Grammar School Class of 1915. The only name listed on the back is a “Tom F. Ingram."

Twenty-one people posed for the old photograph. The historical society is hoping someone can help identify them.

"This is all the information we have about this photograph so far to try to figure out who may be pictured. Being an archivist is a little bit of being a detective!" posted Katelyn Legacy-Roulston, the historical society's curator and archivist, on the society's Facebook page.

If you are able to identify the people in the black and white photo above, contact the North Andover Historical Society at 978-686-4035 or send an email to director.nahistory@gmail.com.

A lot has certainly changed since that photo was taken more than a century ago. In 1915, the U.S. House of Representatives rejected proposal to give women the right to vote, the U.S. was fighting in World War I and future baseball Hall of Fame slugger Babe Ruth hit his first MLB home run.

The cost of living was also significantly lower. In 1915, purchasing a house would have typically set you back $3,200, according to U.S. News. The sticker price for a car back then was about $2,005. Filling it up would have cost around 15 cents per gallon.