Cape Girardeau History and Photos

April 12, 2015

Big Fire on the Square

While Curator Jessica and I were waiting for a table at Rhapsody Restaurant on the square in Nelsonville, Ohio, last fall, I said I was going to wander around shooting some record photos of the buildings.

“Who knows?” I told her. “Those buildings could burn or be torn down by the next time I come through here.”

Pretty safe prediction

I wasn’t being particularly prescient. It’s not uncommon for old buildings to burn or fall down. Athens lost about a half a block of legendary bars and eateries a few months back, and downtown Cape has had its share of big fires over the past century.

Facebook and the Athens County media sites were all ablaze (pun not intended) with spectacular photos of what appeared to be this tall building on fire. The historic Stuart’s Opera House on the left and the gray Majestic building on the right were OK in the latest reports I read.

Rhapsody has smoke, water damage

Alfonso Contrisciani of the Rhapsody reported on his Facebook page that the restaurant has had some some and water damage, but it’s hoped that they’ll be open next week.

“Started as a electrical fire. No one hurt. Stewart’s ok rhapsody ok for now. Hocking college art gallery gone. Five alarm,” he reported.

I covered some fairly impressive fires on the square when I was there in the late ’60s and early ’70s, but this one looked like it was a bigger.

Headed to Ohio

I’ll have a chance to check it out next week. I’m heading to Athens on Sunday to be around for the opening of an exhibit of a bunch of my photos at the Athens County Historical Society and Museum on April 16.

April 11, 2015

Seedy Picture of a Dandelion

I walked around Mother’s house to check for any damage from Thursday night’s storms (we heard a roar that almost drove us to the basement). We had a few dead limbs down, but nothing really worth hauling out the chain saw for. I mentioned a couple days ago that things were greening, purpling, yellowing and reddening all over the place.

What I did NOT expect to see was a patch of dandelions already going to seed. (Click on the photo to make it larger.)

I know that it’s a sign of disgrace to have dandelions in your yard, but I’ve always had a soft spot for this colorful little weed.

April 10, 2015

‘I’m Having a Heart Attack!’

I’m pretty sure the American Ice Cream Drive-In on the left as you come into Jackson was once a Dairy Queen. It wasn’t one of my haunts. (I was more a Wib’s guy.)

You know how certain family stories grow up to be family legends over the years. I wasn’t along the night that Dad and the rest of the family stopped in for what must have been a new product. I don’t know the official name of the frozen beverage they were served. Today it would be known at 7-11 as a Slurpee and other places as a Slushee.

Much like people didn’t really know how to eat pizza at first and ended up with burned mouths, Dad apparently didn’t know how to drink his frozen concoction. It was so cooling, so refreshing, so good-tasting, that he must have sucked it down in big gulps.

Sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia strikes

When the resulting brain freeze hit him, he told the family that he thought was having a heart attack. Fortunately, the condition didn’t last long and all he suffered was embarrassment.

Sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia, by the way, is the scientific name for “ice cream headache,” a term that has been in use since at least January 31, 1937. Much to my surprise, the first published reference to “brain freeze” was on May 27, 1991. I could have sworn I heard the phrase used long before that.

April 9, 2015

Dog and Suds

I get lots of requests for info and photos of Wimpy’s, Pfister’s, A&W Root Beer and, less frequently, Dog and Suds. The first three are long gone, but I had a nagging suspicion that the green building at 605 North Kingshighway, just south of the entrance to Arena Park, might be the latter.

While Mother and I were rambling about, I said, “I’m going to pull in, shoot first, then ask questions later.” And, I did.

Walking in the door, I told a guy that his hair didn’t look gray enough to know the answer on his own, but that he might have heard from someone else if this building had once been the Dog and Suds. He confirmed it had been. (By the way, The Missourian spelled it as Dog and Suds, not “Dog ‘n’ Suds,” the way I thought of it.

Lots of different things

That building had been used for lots of different things.

April 29, 1958 – Preston Sign Co. to erect and install an electric noncombustible advertising sign at 605 North Kingshighway. Size, 7 feet by 8 feet and declared cost, $700.
January 17, 1964 – Advertisement: Mr. and Mrs. Virgil Harrington have purchased and taken over the management of The Gas Lite Drive-in. We will feature Pit Barbecue and Frog Legs, and serve the choicest of foods. 10:00 A.M. to Midnight; 10 A.M. to 2:00 A,M. (on weekends).
October 4, 1969 – D. and D. Plumbers have leased and moved into a building at 605 North Kingshighway. The firm [is] owned by David Franklin… The new location was leased from Barney Zimmerman, and until recently was used to house a restaurant.
1979 City Directory – The Flower Shoppe
April 8, 2015 – Car Title Loans