Decorative wear for high schoolers is unique to central Indiana

This article is brought to you by the Kokomo Downtown Farmers Market. You want the best quality crafts and gifts. You want the freshest, locally grown produce and plants. Then, come downtown to visit the small businesses and farmers who make the Farmers Market a can’t-miss destination every Saturday from May through September.

Every one of the dozens of vendors at the Kokomo Downtown Farmers Market puts the community’s best foot forward, providing unique items and delicious food created and grown right here in Howard County. The market is located at the intersection of Washington and Mulberry streets in downtown Kokomo, and it is open each Saturday from 9 a.m. until noon. Come out to support your friends and neighbors as they share their expertise and hard work with great products for you. We’ll see you at the market!

Just about every graduate from Kokomo High School from the 1950s to the 1980s is familiar with senior cords. The cream-colored pants and skirts became canvases for seniors’ memories of their school years. They are wearable history, and as such, the Howard County Historical Society wants them.

“Right now, we are gathering as many as we can, and then in the next few years, we're talking about doing a whole exhibit on senior cords,” said historical society director Anne Shaw.

Currently, the society has about 20 pairs of the cords, all donated. A selection of them currently is on exhibit at the Kokomo Art Association’s Artworks Gallery in downtown Kokomo, but the society wants more. Lots more.

“I think we had had a couple pairs, and then someone donated a couple of pairs,” said Shaw. “We caught the bug. We started telling people we were looking for the cords, and people started telling their classmates. Everything that we get, we are all ecstatic about!”

Why the interest in some old clothes? It turns out the decorated cords, and in some cases jeans, are unique to Indiana. In fact, they are found almost exclusively in central Indiana within close proximity to the birthplace of the ritual – Purdue University.

“It started at Purdue University around 1920,” said Shaw. “It was a university thing, and then somehow that sort of trickled down to seniors in high school. But outside of central Indiana, nobody's heard of them.”

Shaw, who graduated from school in Montgomery County, recalls her classmates decorating senior jeans. And she knows the practice persists at a small scale even today. No matter when the pants and skirts are created, the historical society would love to include them in the collection.

“We would be interested in collecting all of them, jeans as well,” said Shaw. “We don't care what year they're from. We want to have a cool collection of jeans and cords.”

The great thing about the cords, Shaw explained, is that each pair is a unique historical record. More than an artifact, each item tells a story. There may be a list of names on them or funny cartoon characters. Some of the art may depict an accomplishment or just school spirit.

From what Shaw can tell, the senior cords tradition may have been strongest at Kokomo High School. Nearly all the donations the society has accepted have been from Wildkats, as evidenced by the bold letter “K” on the clothing, along with the face of the Wildkat mascot located almost exclusively on the seat of the pants or skirts.

“You always sit on the Wildkat,” said Shaw.

Of course, there always has to be that one guy who takes the whole thing to the extreme. Shaw explained that the Indiana State Museum has a senior cords suit that is decorated from collar to ankle. And the suit came from Howard County.

During their research, the society uncovered some of the rituals surrounding the cords. While the local collection consists solely of the cream-colored variety, there were other colors used. Shaw’s father – who still has his senior cords -- explained to her how it all worked.

“He said that there were different color cords,” said Shaw. “Green was for freshmen, and each class had its own color. And I think there was green, blue, and I don't know what else, and then cream or white. But only the seniors got to wear the white or the cream-colored cords. If you were a freshman, sophomore, or junior who wore white cords, it did not go well.

“But, when people would go back-to-school shopping, the stores would just have stacks and piles of cords set up because the kids wanted them.”

The Howard County Historical Society will continue accepting donations of the cords indefinitely. And they are just as interested in the stories behind them. People who are interested in having their cords or jeans become a part of local history can contact the society by emailing info@howardcountymuseum.org or by calling 765-452-4314.

To experience the cords exhibition at Artworks Gallery, visit 210 N. Main St. Monday through Friday from noon until 4 p.m. or Saturday from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. The exhibition will remain on display through Aug. 29.