The cover of the scrapbook kept by Ralph Emerson Herbert

This scrapbook was given to the Archives by Mark Sutton [W1968]. He purchased it at an auction in LaGrange, Indiana in 2004. It is the student scrapbook of Ralph E. Herbert [W1909] and William Laurent Dryer [W1909]. It contains photos of campus, freshman sophomore scrap, the Lemon Show (Class Day 1907 ) a Glee Club tour poster, and more. In this post I am pleased to share several images enabling us to look back in time.

This is a photo of Ralph Herbert in his boarding house room.

Ralph Emerson Herbert came to Wabash from his hometown of LaGrange, Indiana. Herbert’s family had deep roots in the county, arriving in 1829, just as the town was platted. In 1872 two members of Herbert family, along with another man, founded the LaGrange County Bank. It is no surprise then, that following his graduation from Wabash Herbert returned home and went to work. Beginning in 1925, and for 31 years, Herbert was the owner of his own clothing store in LaGrange.

Senior picture of Ralph Herbert from the Wabash Magazine of June, 1909.
The accompanying senior “biography”. Each student had a short, humorous biography.
The class of 1909 poses for a picture in the Arboretum.

The next series of photos is of the “class fight” between the freshman class of 1910 and the sophomores of 1909.

The dust that is rising was kicked up by the students fighting on the ground, as upperclassmen watch the action.
Here we have two students going at it for all they’re worth.
And in this picture, at lower right, we see Ralph holding down what we must assume is a freshman opponent.

Another feature of the Herbert scrapbook is that it features a number of pictures of lovely young women. Here are a few of the clearer photos.

And while these ladies were no doubt of great interest to the gentlemen of 1909, it was as true then as it still is today, the strongest bonds at Wabash are with your fellow students.

Herbert is outline in red. This picture is from a Christmas party – we can just see a few gifts at the front of the image.
Herbert and friends on the Big Four Arch bridge just south of campus.

And here a a couple of summer fun pictures.

This poster is undated, but we can see why it was saved here – and based on the tagline “Under auspices of La Grange students at Wabash College.”