Almost Yesterday

It seems like Almost Yesterday that two historic landmarks in Cape Girardeau disappeared. In April of 1909 the city council decided it was time to make improvement to Court House Park through the elimination of two building that had served the city for half a century. The first of these was the old market house which had been a fixture on the lawn of Court House Park since 1852. The second was a city jail which had been constructed in 1856. The market house was a square brick building which was

It seems like Almost Yesterday that Warren Eastman Hearnes became governor of Missouri. Born in Moline, Illinois, on July 24, 1923, Hearnes grew up in Charleston, Missouri, the county seat of Mississippi County, a place he called home for the remainder of his life. While in high school he determined that he wanted to attend West Point in pursuit of a military career. The desired appointment was received and he graduated from the academy in the class of 1946. In 1947, Hearnes married his high

It seems like Almost Yesterday that the lead mining area of Southeast Missouri was caught up in a tense situation known as the “Flat River Riot.” From the early decades of the 18th century the lead of St. Francois County was of national importance. This was especially true when America was at war. The greatest demand for lead came in the early 20th century and during World War I, when approximately 70% of the national lead supply came from the Missouri “Lead Belt.” Much of the labor for the new

It seems like almost yesterday that the US postal system implemented a zone improvement plan for distribution of the United States mail. World War II had dramatically increased the volume of mail and in 1943 a series of basic postal zones were created. But by the 1960’s the character and volume of U.S. mail dramatically changed. There was a virtual explosion of business mail. By 1963 business transactions made up 80%of the total volume. Computers created a massive centralization of business

It seems like Almost Yesterday that Richard G. Wilson became the only resident of Cape Girardeau to ever receive the Congressional Medal of Honor, our nation’s highest military honor. Wilson was born August 19, 1931, in Marion, Ill., but grew up in Cape Girardeau in a family of seven children. On August 19, 1948 – his 17th birthday – he enlisted in the army and reported to Fort Sam Houston, Texas, where he was trained as a medic. He volunteered for Airborne School and was assigned to Fort

It seems like Almost Yesterday that the largest tree in Charleston, Mo., was cut down. The giant cottonwood was said to be the largest and most loved tree in the city. Legend has it that the tree was fully grown when Missouri became a state in 1821 and that it witnessed the founding of the town in 1837. But by 1933, Charleston had expanded and grown around the mighty cottonwood and it stood squarely in the center of State Street, directly behind of the home of Edwin P. Deal, a prominent resident

It seems like almost yesterday that Denver Wright sought to bring a bit of Africa to the veldt of Southeast Missouri. The owner of a specialty company in St. Louis and a member of the Brentwood Board of Education, Wright inherited two lions from a small circus that simply ran out of money. Challenged by the expense and difficulty of maintaining two grown lions, unable to give them away, Wright came upon the idea of releasing them and then hunting them in a real live safari. As Missouri had no

It seems like almost yesterday that President William Howard Taft visited Cape Girardeau . His purpose was to promote the deepening and stabilization of the Mississippi River channel. President Taft was the first sitting President to ever visit the city and Cape Girardeau and the whole region prepared for his visit accordingly. A welcome arch was constructed over the entrance to the city at Themis Street, a commemorative badge was commissioned, a grand parade planned, and special excursion

It seems like Almost Yesterday that a twenty-two foot tall fiberglass statue of an Indian chief was placed on the top of Houck Stadium in Cape Girardeau . At the time, Southeast Missouri State athletic teams were known as The Indians, and for nearly a decade the giant figure greeted those who attended sporting events at Houck Field or Houck Field House. For many students and alumni at Southeast the mascot for the athletic teams had long been known as Chief Sagamore, an Algonquin name for leader

It seems like Almost Yesterday that Miss Eliza Ann Carleton began a log cabin college north of Farmington, Missouri. Her goal was to establish a college of high quality for the young people of the region. Born and raised in a prominent Virginia family, Miss Carleton moved to Missouri in 1843 at age 17 to be close to her uncle Henry Carleton. Her family had provided her with an excellent education, and she had visited some of the most famous college of her native state. She taught school in her