Albert M. Spradling Archives

I’ve passed the yellow brick building at 1304 Broadway no telling how many times, but I never stopped to look at it closely, and I certainly was never in it. I vaguely remember it being some kind of international food store for awhile.

Like so many of Cape’s other older buildings, it has had an interesting past, with many familiar names popping up in news stories and briefs associated with that address. It was built between 1923 and 1928 by Dr. J.F. Riddle of Bernie who lived in Cape for about five years before moving back to Bernie.

Judge Joseph L. Moore and his family moved into the house in 1931, and lived there until the kids grew up and they went looking for a smaller place in 1937. The next residents were Albert M. Spradling, described in early stories as “an attorney,” and the father of future Senator A.M. Spradling, Jr.

In the early 1960s, Hartford’s Gift Shop moved into the property. By the 1970s, the Jim Haman family occupied the dwelling. After that, it gets a little muddy. Global Trading, an international grocery was established in 1986. The grocery and the city got into a legal tussle over eminent domain when Broadway was widened. I didn’t see a story about the outcome, but I note that the building seems to be unoccupied now.

The Riddle – Moore years

All stories are from The Southeast Missourian, except as noted.

February 5, 1931 – Mr. and Mrs. Joseph L. Moore moved Wednesday from 1402 Bessie Street to 1304 Broadway. Mr. Moore is a referee in bankruptcy.
June 7, 1932 – Ella Haw Johnson, 6, has returned to her home at Farmington after a visit with her little cousin, Patricia Grubb, 1304 Broadway.
June 18, 1932 – Mrs. Paul A. Reardon of Knoxville, Tenn., is here to be a guest for possibly three weeks at the home of her parents, Judge and Mrs. Joseph L. Moore, 1304 Broadway.
February 27, 1933 – The fourth blaze [of the weekend] was at 9:12 Sunday night at the dwelling of Judge Joseph L. Moore, 1304 Broadway, where a flue burned out.
October 25, 1933 – Judge J.L. Moore and daughter, Miss Anna Lee Moore, 1304 Broadway, left today for Chicago and will be at the fair until Monday. Judge Moore attended the other world’s fair in Chicago, held 40 years ago.
Feb. 29, 1936 – Miss Anna Haw of Farmington is visiting her sister, Mrs. W.H. Wescoat, 1417 Themis Street, and Mrs. Joseph L. Moore, 1304 Broadway. She will be here several weeks.
October 31, 1936 – Dr. J.F. Riddle, 68 years old, of Bernie, formerly of Cape Girardeau, died of diabetes at a hospital in Poplar Bluff at 5 a.m. after being a patient there for two weeks. Dr. Riddle practiced medicine until he became ill, and managed his farm land near Bernie and real estate he owned in that town. The Riddle family moved to Cape Girardeau from Bernie in 1923 and resided here for five years. They lived for a time on Good Hope Street then built a dwelling at 1304 Broadway and lived there until they moved back to Bernie.
December 28, 1936 – Mr. and Mrs. Joe L. Moore, 1304 Broadway, have received word of the birth of a son to Mr. and Mrs. Paul A. Reardon of Knoxville, Tenn., Christmas day. Mrs. Reardon, formerly Miss Martha Moore, is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Moore. Mr. Reardon is connected with the TVA development.
May 31, 1937 – The condition of Joseph L. Moore, 1304 Broadway, was reported slightly improved today, but he is not yet permitted to have visitors other than relatives. He had a slight temperature today but was able to take a little nourishment. Mr. Moore has been ill 10 days.
October 1, 1937 – Judge J.L. Moore, who with Mrs. Moore was getting settled at 626 South Benton Street, moving from 1304 Broadway, said he found it a difficult task locating a vacant dwelling. He stated that he feared for a time they would have to move out of the city to locate a place to live. Judge Moore spent more than a month casually looking for a house then put in two down right busy weeks on the search. The dwelling on Broadway was too large, none of the Moores’ sons and daughters being at home at present. They moved there in February, 1931, and had spent the last 6-1/2 years at that location.

The Spradling Era

August 29, 1938 – Members of the Teens Club, of which she is a member, and extra guests, who were Miss Margaret Bohnsack, Miss Helen Hosea and Miss Betty Hunt, the latter of Salem, Ill., were entertained in honor of Miss Margaret Spradling Saturday night by her mother, Mrs. A.M. Spradling, at their home, 1304 Broadway. The honoree was 15 years old that day. Miss Virginia Waller assisted with the party. Prizes and tallies carried out a Mexican motif at three tables of hearts, and the prizes were won by Misses Betty Shaner, Jean Chatham and Margaret Bohnsack.
March 22, 1939 – Albert M. Spradling, 1304 Broadway, an attorney, is improving at the Missouri Pacific Hospital in St. Louis, Mrs. Spradling said today. He is a patient there for treatment of an inflamed condition of his eyes, which has not yet been fully diagnosed, although various tests have been made.
April 13, 1939 – Albert M. Spradling, an attorney of 1304 Broadway, returned early today from Rochester, Minn., where he spent the past week undergoing treatment of his eyes at the Mayo Bros. Clinic. Mr. Spradling has been out of his office most of the time since the first of the year and was in a St. Louis hospital for a month. His eyes are improved and he said today that he will spend much of his time at his office in the H-H building, but will not do a great deal of work. He is a law partner of S.P. Dalton, recent appointee as Supreme Court commissioner.
November 22, 1942 – A.M. Spradling, an attorney of 1304 Broadway, who went to the Missouri Pacific Hospital in St. Louis for an operation Nov. 3, is greatly improved and expects to return to his home here Monday. He has been sitting up most of the week. After returning he will remain at home for several days.
June 11, 1942 – Albert Spradling Jr., who was graduated from the University of Missouri law school at Columbia Tuesday morning, accompanied his parents, Mr. and Mrs. A.M. Spradling, and his sister, Miss Margaret, 1304 Broadway, home and began work this morning as a partner in the law office of his father. His parents and sister went to Columbia Monday to be present for the exercises. He attended the university three years after having attended Teachers College three years. He passed the bar examinations in February. Last summer he was here in the law office of his father.
October 26, 1943 – Here visiting her parents, Mr. and Mrs. R.W. Cambron, on her way to Montgomery, Ala., after having resided a short time at Seymour, Ind., Mrs. Donald E. Beebe, formerly Miss Patsy Cambron, was a guest in the Hexamesalinamine Klub [that what it said, I’m not making it up] at the home of Miss Margaret Spradling, 1304 Broadway. She was a member of the group before her marriage. Conversation included travel talk, accounts of recent trips.
February 6, 1961 – Mrs. Alma Marsha Spradling, 75 years old, the mother of Sen. Albert M. Spradling, Jr. and the widow of a prominent Cape Girardeau attorney, died Thursday night at a Cape Girardeau hospital. There is an extensive Spradling family history in her obituary.

Hartford’s Gift Shop and Haman family

December 10, 1961 – Classified ad – Hartford’s Gift Shop now located at 1304 Broadway, $1.00 gift specials.
November 10, 1962 – Display ad: New Location – Hartford’s Gift Shop. Gifts – Antiques. Plenty of parking space. Lots of new merchandise for Xmas.
August 28, 1971 – Hartford E. Hill, wholesaler and importer of gift merchandise, while closing out his retail store at 1304 Broadway, will continue in the wholesale business, serving a wide area around Cape Girardeau, a radius of 200 miles… He has been in the gift business here for 27 years ….
November 11, 1971 – Cape Girardeau Bulletin – Kassell’s studio, started more than 50 years ago by Chester Kassell, now operated and owned by Jim Haman, who purchased the firm about ten years ago. His father, Chester Haman, has an antique, coin and stamp shop in half of the building. The firm will move the first of the year to “Hartford Hills,” 1304 Broadway, a building recently purchased by the Hamans.
June 11, 1978 – Trinity Lutheran Church was the site of the May 20 wedding of Miss Denise Annette Haman and David Michael Dodd… Parents of the couple are Mr. and Mrs. James G. Haman, 1304 Broadway, and Mr. and Mrs. Robert Dodd of Des Moines, Iowa.
September 2, 1979 – Bulletin-Journal – Jennifer Lynne Haman and Stephen Ross March were united in marriage August 4 in a double ring ceremony performed by Dr. J. Ray Trotter at Centenary Methodist Church… Parents of the couple are Mr. and Mrs. James G. Haman, 1304 Broadway, and Dr. and Mrs. Bryce D. March, 3007 Kage Road.
March 6, 1988 – Trinity Lutheran Church was the setting Jan. 23 for the wedding of Gail Ellen Haman and Steven Adolf Sokolowski… The former Miss Haman is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Haman, 1304 Broadway. The groom’s parents are Mr. and Mrs. Adolf Sokolowski of Jackson Route 2.

Global Trading

June 8, 1988 – The City Council issued a special use permit to allow living quarters on the second floor of the main building and an apartment over the garage at 1304 Broadway.
May 22, 1996 – Global Trading on Broadway offers a variety of delicacies for Filipino, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Laotian, Cambodian, Indian and Korean cuisine, said Avelina Lichtenegger. Litchenegger, who is Filipino, opened the store in 1986 because she was tired of driving to Carbondale, Ill., or St. Louis to find the ingredients she needed.
May 14, 2006 – Owners of a local grocery store, Global Trading, are wondering whether all businesses are being treated equally by city hall in Cape Girardeau’s Broadway widening project. City hall officials counter that they have altered their plans to accommodate the store and believe the process is a fair one…. Owners of Global Trading say they have been fighting for more than a year to prevent eminent domain use from putting them out of business. [Unfortunately, the microfilm was turned sideways, so I can’t link to the legal wrangling. If anybody REALLY wants a copy of the story, email me.]