i spotted this lovely, vintage pennant at an estate sale in upscale overland park, kansas. the elderly woman holding the sale said, "that's where i learned to type!", referring to the college name on the pennant. she said she went to "secretary school" there, common after world war ii and before she married her husband.
i am a nerd and looooove researching my vintage items. turns out, this is a very, very special historical item.
morton college was founded in 1924 and is the second-oldest community college in illinois, located near chicago.
the name "morton" is what makes it special. an illinois high school and college are both named for j. (julius) sterling morton. he is the man who founded arbor day back in 1872. his son, joy morton, founded the famous morton salt company (chicago). as the elder morton struggled with his health, he moved near his son for medical treatment and passed away there in the chicago area.
j. sterling morton was a nebraska newspaper editor who became a politician and served in the nebraska territory's territorital house of representatives, then as acting governor. president james buchanan appointed him secretary of nebraska territory. he was named president grover cleveland's secretary of agriculture.
because he helped farmers and worked with others to establish national parks, he is especially remembered for these two things and for starting arbor day. his mansion/estate are now the arbor lodge state historical park and arboretum in nebraska city, nebraska.
his son's thornhill estate in chicago is a 1,700-acre museum of living history. it features 4,000+ types of woody plants, shrubs, and trees.
another son, paul morton, served as president theodore roosevelt's secretary of the navy.
because of j. sterling morton's legacy, the name "morton" is used as an abbreviated one-word insertion whenever a writer cites any botanical name.
back to the real business here--the cool pennant...
a vintage college pennant looks terrific hanging as decor in a:
- man cave,
- family room,
- office,
- homeschooling area,
- playroom,
- recreation area,
- child's/teen's bedroom, or
- perfect, if you happen to have the last name "morton," of course.
this beautiful, old pennant is a deep maroon, with the trim and lettering in an aged-cream color. the letters grow slightly smaller from the "m" down to the "n." the edging looks more aged/soiled, with the lettering in remarkably good condition.
large size: about 24" end-to-end (both hanging ties are intact), with the width about 8" at the tallest on the left side and down to about 1/2" at the tip on its right side
vintage item, as-is (please take a close look at the photos)
