BY ROD ZOOK

HUTCHINSON— If you’ve been in the downtown Hutchinson, you’ve noticed the major renovation going on at the the old Decor building along Main Street. The store will become the future home of Queen Bee Marketing.

Recently during the demolition, they found an interesting item: a very old black handbag. According to Carissa Jackson with Queen Bee, the purse sat at a desk for several days before they decided to see if they could find the owner of the lost bag. Inside the purse was a collection of certificates, bank records, love letters, keys, a wallet and photos, along with a number of miscellaneous items dating back to 1948.

Eventually, a relative of Elaine Klatt discovered the purse and made contact with several other relatives who confirmed the purse belonged to the now Elaine McKenna. She had worked in the building when its was a Sears just after graduating from high school.

On Tuesday, McKenna and several members of her family came to the site of the old Sears and reclaimed the purse after nearly 70 years, getting a chance to rediscover old memories and share stories of when she worked and lived back in the 1940s.