Pickings from Pike’s Past 5.31.23
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150 YEARS AGO: DEATH OF COLONEL WILLIAM ROSS
150 Years Ago
June 5, 1873
Weather fine and everything lovely. Last week, however, everything came near freezing up.
Died at his residence in Pittsfield on Friday, May 30, A. D.,1873 Col. William Ross—aged 81 years. Col. Ross left a widow, his third wife, two sons, Marcellus and William, Jr., and two daughters, the one married to Col. A. C. Mathews and the other married to Daniel F. Kellogg. All have families of children in whom the Colonel took great pleasure.
The votes cast at the judicial election cost the county about a dollar apiece under the worse than useless registry law.
The work of laying new and re-laying the old sidewalks is progressing with a good deal of energy, and we are glad to see that the brick walks around the square are to be supplanted by plank ones.
The stock yard in East St. Louis will, when completed, be one of the largest institutions of the kind in the country.
Decoration Day was almost entirely neglected by our citizens, only some 25 or 30 taking part in strewing flowers upon the graves.
125 Years Ago
June 7, 1898
Corn that’s in, and most of it is, is growing so rapidly with the extreme moist ground and hot weather that in a month from now, with like conditions, it will hardly be realized that planting was so late.
Chambersburg is having an epidemic of measles. Dr. Brown reported up to Sunday night 110 cases in the town and vicinity.
It was so lonesome at the hitching rack in Pittsfield Monday forenoon that a country horse broke his bridle and started for home just to find company.
June 10, 1898
Corn progressing very nicely in Newburg—until last night’s heavy rain. Some few are lucky enough to have corn big enough to plow.
Wheat is full of red rust and when the wind blows hard it forms a red cloud, which looks very queer at a distance.
Twenty days of rain out of 30 chinch bugs, grasshoppers by the million, potato bugs, rust on the wheat and oats, corn planting, corn plowing, putting up clover and cutting wheat all at the same time. Oh, what prosperity to the farmer!
J.G. Foreman, our worthy postmaster, has an unwelcome kind of pet or visitor from a southern climate. He came on a large bunch of bananas and will have to be called a tarantula. Its body is larger than a man’s thumb.
100 Years Ago
June 6, 1923
Oron Irvin, market gardener, says this has been the finest spring to put out plants he has ever known since he has been in the garden business.
A class of 11 graduated from Pleasant Hill High School.
Surveyors last week re-located the planned Route 36 west of Pittsfield in accordance with a suggestion made by the Republican and the Pike County hard roads committee. It will begin to angle north further to the west, at a point at the edge of the A. W. Wills corner.
75 Years Ago
June 2, 1948
The third annual state convention of Army Mothers was held in Barry last Wednesday. Stella Staggs of Barry is state commander and eight other officers are from Pike County.
Memorial Day ceremonies were held Sunday morning at Pittsfield West Cemetery. Legion commander A. W. Schimmel, Jr. gave a brief address. The Pittsfield High School band led the parade. Tom Geisendorfer was in charge of the firing squad. Legion Chaplain Paul Grote gave a prayer and “Taps” was sounded.
The 100 or more mothers of Pike County’s war dead will be special guests of honor at the 4th of July celebration and dedicatory ceremonies at the Griggsville fairgrounds Sunday, July 4th.
Lots of new building and repair is going on in Pittsfield in spite of the high cost. Harry Branch has 28 or 29 men working on four or five separate jobs. Hicks Petty says he has so many jobs he hasn’t been able to settle down to his factory business, for which he is building a new plant in the rear of his residence at 813 W. Washington.
Judy Hess, little daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Earl Hess, was six years old Friday. She entertained her little friends at a birthday party in a new playhouse.
50 Years Ago
June 6, 1973
The new Pittsfield airport is on target with 45 percent of the earth-work done and all drainage structures completed. Planned completion is sometime in July.
Mrs. Mina H. Lovell, who helped organize the Girl Scout Program in Pittsfield about 1932, died unexpectedly at her home, June 1, 1973. For 18 years she was a member of the Pittsfield school board and was the board’s secretary for 15 years. She was active in many organizations, including the Pittsfield Christian Church, Pike County Historical Society, and the Abraham Lincoln chapter of People to People. Pall bearers were Warren Winston, George Jenkins, Jr., Stephen Lovell, Granville Hill, William Harter and Russell Hill.
Lyndle Stone has purchased the Lowry Motel from Mrs. Miriam Lowry and will serve as its manager. He is already on the job. Stone was born here, attended Pittsfield High School, then moved to Quincy where he completed high school.
If Elmo Craven, Griggsville’s water superintendent, took time to change hats every time he did something different from his primary responsibility for water service, he’d spend the day changing hats and never get anything done. Off his city job, Elmo continues to be a man with many hats, including board of auditors of Griggsville Township, volunteer fireman, American Legion and the Griggsville Fair.
Elizabeth Turnbull and Greg Wainman received the American Legion awards at the Griggsville 8th grade promotion exercises.
Rick Zimmerman graduated Monday from Culver-Stockton College. He has been named a program director at the Quincy YMCA, mainly dealing with aquatic and athletic programs for elementary and high school students.
Mark Boren left Monday for Gypsum, Colo. where he has summer employment as program director at Colorado River Ranch. This is his fifth year at the camp.
25 Years Ago
June 3, 1998
The original portion of the old Higbee School building will be torn off and sold for salvage this summer. Greg Ketterman, who purchased the building approximately 18 months ago, says it is economically impossible for him to maintain the whole building. The gym and two rooms on the north side of the former school building are being used for weight lifting and various athletic purposes.
Work on the new building that will house Sav-A-Lot and Dollar General is progressing fast.
The PHS Lady Saukees softball team won their very first regional title in a 4-1 game against QND, behind pitcher Laura Wilder. The girls lost to Pleasant Plains in the sectional.
The Saukee boys baseball team also won their regional over Brown County, but lost in their first sectional appearance since 1994, to Lewistown, with Stan Moss pitching both games.
10 Years Ago
June 5, 2013
Bob and Judy Steers of Barry will celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary June 9. They were married June 9, 1968 at Hamel Immanuel United Church of Christ.
Donnie Houchins retired Friday afternoon after 10 years as assistant maintenance engineer of the Pike County courthouse.
• Compiled by Michael Boren
