#THROWBACK THURSDAY

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Taking a look back at Hartwell’s history as reported by The Hartwell Sun.

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  • This photo printed on Sept. 4, 2002, in The Sun shows the sign marking the newly dedicated Herndon Stadium.
    This photo printed on Sept. 4, 2002, in The Sun shows the sign marking the newly dedicated Herndon Stadium.
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Sept. 6, 1940 — The new Hart County auditorium opened for Hartwell public schools.
“Exercises”were held for the first time at 9 p.m. and the general public was “not only invited, but urged to attend.”
The new building was opened under the direction of C. M. Reed and Pete Herndon of the vocational department.

Sept. 1, 1977 — A purse was found on the banks of Lake Hartwell that gave the first lead to a murder of an Oklahoma City woman a year prior.
The purse was found at the edge of the water, “well-preserved,” off the northbound lane of Interstate 85. After finding the purse, Sheriff Larry Sanders called a number found on a piece of paper in the purse and it turned out to be the parents of the victim.
The body of Lesa Haley, 21, was found along Interstate 35 near Dallas with nine stab wounds and two strikes to the head on Aug, 23, 1976.
Sanders provided Dallas law enforcement with information on the contents of the purse in hopes that it would be the first clue to year-old case.
An 1980 article in the Seguin Gazette-Enterprise, a newspaper out of Seguin, Texas, listed Haley as the first of 21 murders along a 300-mile stretch of I-35 in the previous four years.

Sept. 4, 2002 ­— Hart County High School dedicated its new football facilities.
The ceremonies honored the late Pete Herdon and former Hart County coach Bobby Pate. A new field house was named after Bobbby Pate, while a granite monument was added to the newly renovated Herndon Stadium honoring Herndon.
U.S. Sen. Max Cleland was the featured speaker said he was glad to be in a football-loving town and wished the Bulldogs well in their new facilities.