News photos that have grown whiskers and have become history
This small church at 1507 South Sprigg Street has served many denominations over the years. Currently it is the Joyful Noise C.O.G.I.C.
The 1968 City Directory and Missourian Church Directories as late as 1986 listed it as either New Bethel Church or New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church. I think it may have been a Catholic Church at some point, but I could be thinking of another building.
A story in the Nov. 29, 1926, Missourian said “High officials of the Marquette Cement Manufacturing Company and affiliated corporations, have arrived in Cape Girardeau for the dedication late today of the new $50,000 office building near the plant in South Cape Girardeau. The new building, one of the most ornate and substantial in Cape Girardeau, has been completed and is ready for occupation.”
Although the late afternoon sun makes the color much warmer than it really is, the building looks like it has been well-maintained. It IS ornate.
A view from atop the cement plant shows the headquarters building sitting near oxbows of Cape LaCroix Creek from the days when it used to join the Mississippi River close to the Diversion Channel instead of its present course north of the plant and south of what used to be Smelterville.
I can’t just read what I was looking for. I always get sucked into reading the stories around my target. Here’s what else was being written about on Nov. 29, 1926.
Brother-in-law John Perry was down to sharpen scissors and knives at a quilt show ramrodded by Friend Jan. We kept him busy installing vinyl siding on the house and doing other odd jobs that we save up through the year.
It turned out to be less traumatic than 2010.
Last year he had to scurry home because a tornado that went through Puxico, Mo., hit some of his wife’s family’s homes.
After doing all that work, he deserved to take some time off to stalk the wily fish. He and Son Wyatt had a blast in 2009 when they went off on a seafaring jaunt.
On a 2002 trip, Son Drew made such an impression on his fishing boat captain that the man sent him a copy of The Old Man and the Sea.
He had hooked a dolphin that was at least 60-80 pounds, one of the largest the captain had seen that year. He fought the fish from 6 p.m. until well after 8:30 when it made a run under the boat and was able to cut the line on the motors.
Captain Neal Rawls of The Riggins Too wrote, “Though the fish got away, I hope when you think back on that fight you see it as the success I do… I’ll always remember how your family all fought that fish together. You held the rod and fought the fish while your father pointed out the direction it was running and your mother held the spotlight….
“You are a lucky man to have a family that sticks together and without hesitation faces up to challenges together. As time goes on, if you ever feel life has thrown you a curve ball, remember that fish, and that with your parents’ help, you can tackle anything.”
We put out the word that we were looking for somebody who wanted to take a boat out. Son Matt hooked up with one of Son Adam’s buddies we always dubbed “My Friend Jon” because that’s the way Adam always referred to him. Jon Pauley’s brother-in-law Matt Douglass (I THINK there is a double S at the end) was available to head out Friday morning.
“Morning” to a fisherperson means middle of the night to me, so I was content to let Wife Lila take him down to Boynton for his adventure. The alarms went off at 5:15. John and Matt were at the boat at 6:10, and out the Boynton Inlet by 7ish.
They caught the first fish within about 10 minutes of clearing the breakers, John said, “and for the next three hours we hammered them hard.” They were so busy hauling in fish (and letting a few of the Big Ones get away) that they barely had time to take a tiny nibble at the sandwiches and my Cajun trail mix road food they took with them.
We expected John to call for pickup by 11ish, but that deadline came and went. Then noon, then 1 o’clock.
I warned John’s Wife Dee that the lack or arrival could be caused by several things.
The answer was behind Door Number One. They hauled them in until “it was like someone threw a switch and they quit biting.”
The duo scored seven dolphin (not the Flipper variety) and 3 wahoo. At least that many got away, John said.
The men cleaned their catch and the boat, then brought home the fish filets in coolers. Neighbor Jacqie fired up the grill and worked food magic. It was a good day for all but the fish.
John and his sharpening equipment will be down here in West Palm Beach until March 19 if you need anything touched up. If you’re in Missouri, he’ll be back in your neck of the woods after that.
Remember the Era of Big Hair? This negative sleeve had a number of different assignments in it, along with a cryptic “Linda M.” After consulting with the Central High School yearbook and Wife Lila, I’m going to guess it’s Linda McGregor, who was a sophomore in the 1965 Girardot.
This must have been some kind of sporting event because both girls have Tiger emblems.
The woman at the left doesn’t seem to approve of whatever hijinks and tomfoolery are going on.
I was willing to take a stab at Linda, but I don’t have a clue who her friend is. Anyone? Click on the photos to make them larger if that helps.
You’d think a photographer would have a ready-made excuse to collect names and phone numbers from cute girls, but my level of social self-ineptitude kept me from obtaining that information for personal use, and I didn’t bother to ID anyone who wasn’t going to make me five bucks in the paper.