Pickings from Pike’s Past: 50 YEARS AGO: ROBIN CAPPS CROWNED 1972 LITTLE LEAGUE QUEEN

By Editor | May 11, 2022 |

150 Years Ago
May 16, 1872
A chap bearing our name recently visited Griggsville and reports the town in a lively state of progress. He tells us improvements seem to be raging all about. New stores and old ones repaired and repainted, dwellings rejuvenated and revivified. A new depot, cattle yards, etc. are to be put up right off east of the county road from Pittsfield to Griggsville. Mr. Irland is running the Weagly House up to the full standard of the reputation it acquired under Weagly and Capt. Edwards.

125 Years Ago
May 18, 1897
Last week was entirely given up to school visiting by most people, judging from the numbers gathered to hear the various exercises. Visitors were invited to go into each room and inspect the work of the pupils. There were 15 graduates of Pittsfield High School.
The train out of Pittsfield this morning was made up of four coaches and a baggage car, and carried 206 passengers to attend the inter-collegiate sports day at Jacksonville.

May 21, 1897
The click of the corn planter is heard in every direction, although some farmers are still plowing.
Yank Robinson Jr., Brady Waters and Will Argus walked to Jacksonville to attend the inter-collegiate sports day. They started Sunday evening and pulled into Jacksonville very tired and dirty and with their shoes considerable the worse for wear.
The J. C. Dinsmore Post no. 610 GAR will hold memorial services at the Pleasant Hill M.E. Church on May 29. All churches, lodges and societies have a special invitation to take part. Take well-filled baskets.

100 Years Ago
May 17, 1922
The weather is fine today after the rain of the past few days.
Through sunshine, rain, sand, gravel, mud and more of each, a large crowd of Pittsfield fans accompanied our baseball nine to Pleasant Hill. After arriving at the Pleasant Hill ball park the weather man again wept great weeps, which didn’t help an already muddy diamond. The sun then came out and smiled warmly the rest of the day. The P. H. management started to drag the field, but this didn’t help much. So, a large amount of gasoline was fired on the field of action, and this didn’t help. So, they finally just packed up the diamond and moved it out into the green grass. And Pittsfield finally won by the score of 17-6.
The class of 1922 of Pittsfield High School claimed some of the finest athletes ever graduated from the school. Among them were Ernest Koepping, Russell Niccum, Paul Dolbow, Ben Cawthon, Percy Cummings, Richard Bergeman, Earl Hall, Richard Austin and Clyde Show. With the inauguration of baseball this spring, Koepping became the only man ever to receive a letter in four sports while attending P. H. S.

75 Years Ago
May 14, 1947
The newly restored Barry Christian Church will be re-dedicated May 18. The remodeling and redecorating was due to the disastrous fire which occurred last year.
Richard Niebur has become associated with the Travelers Insurance Company. He recently returned from Hartford, Conn. where he attended an insurance course. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Ben Niebur of Pittsfield.

50 Years Ago
May 17, 1972
Robin Capps, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Capps, was crowned the 1972 Little League Queen. It was the beginning of the season on an improved playing field with a brand new lighted score board.
The grand opening of the Perry Wagon Wheel in Perry will be Sunday, May 21.
Opponents of the proposed airport in Pittsfield stated their objections Tuesday in a 5 ½ hour hearing in the upper court room of the Pike County courthouse.
Griggsville High School will graduate 36 on June 2. The speaker will be Mr. William T. Wall, director of athletics at MacMurray College, Jacksonville.

25 Years Ago
May 14, 1997
Pike County now has a Chinese connection. Benny and Jane Lin are opening their Panda Chinese Restaurant on the courthouse square in Pittsfield, Monday, May 19.
Area residents are working together to keep one of the Twin Culverts near Old Pearl from crumbling even more. The group, Paul and Florence Smith, Bernice O’Leary, Jean Helkey, Doris Webel, Harlan Sidwell and Lois Stanley, are raising funds to stabilize the oldest culvert, built for the railroad around 1871. The newer one was built when the railroad was relocated around 1890.

10 Years Ago
May 16, 2012
Post offices in Pike County could be running on reduced hours in order to keep them from being closed. The USPS announced a new strategy on May 9 to keep the nation’s smallest post offices open for business. The post offices affected in Pike County would include Nebo, Milton, Rockport, Pleasant Hill, New Canton, New Salem, Perry, Kinderhook, Hull, Baylis, Griggsville and Pearl.

■ Compiled by Michael Boren