Pickings from Pike’s Past 6.28.23

By Editor | June 27, 2023 |

150 Years Ago

July 3, 1873

The weather has been rather fickle and inconstant in these parts. A heavy rain Tuesday night caught many with hay down and beat down the wheat and oats very extensively. A tremendous clap of thunder on Sunday morning aroused the town as though an earthquake had shaken it.

One year ago, Sandy Gobble of Detroit was harnessing his horses when lightning struck and killed the team and very nearly made an end of him. Then one day last week, he was lying comfortably on a lounge in his house, when the lightning struck near him with such force as to roll him off the lounge and stun him considerably. He now proposes to hire out as a lightning rod.

One hundred and thirteen boys, under the age of 20, have been received at Sing Sing prison, New York within the last five months.

The wild man of the woods is in Georgia now. He has got to be eight feet tall, and tears out a horse’s tail at one twist of the wrist.

125 Years Ago

July 5, 1898

We are still having most glorious weather for farm work, harvesting and haying.

The county offices and the banks were closed all day yesterday, it being a legal holiday. It was a dull day in Pittsfield. Many people attended celebrations in neighboring towns, and a great many more picnicked in the cool and darkling woods of Little Blue and Honey Creek. One party of girls left town about 9 a.m. with their buggies loaded with big baskets of fried chicken, ice cream freezers and soda pop a la Cervera (bottled), and it goes without saying that they enjoyed themselves, for they didn’t even take a boy along to bait their fish hooks.

July 8, 1898

Adolph Kastner has been appointed dog catcher by the Pittsfield City Council.

The churches of Pittsfield have arranged for a serious of union open air services in the court house park every Sunday evening at 5 o’clock. These services will take the places of the regular evening meetings in the different churches.

A fishing party, composed of Drs Shastid, Miller and Barber, Col. Frank Lewis and Major James Ogden went over to Clear Lake and caught just about all the fish they could haul home.

100 Years Ago

July 4, 1923

New Hartford reports the biggest rain in four years. It was accompanied by a hard wind that blew the corn and oats down in bad shape. Hundreds of tons of soil were washed out of corn fields, as about three inches of rain poured down.

A representative of the Kroger stores was in Pittsfield recently and took a two-year lease on the Strauss building on the west side of the square, which was recently vacated by Karl Greife. A Kroger store is to be opened there within two or three weeks.

Two men were charged with disorderly conduct at a Little Six baseball game at Nebo. The pair thought it was “open season” on umpires and acted accordingly. They were charged with “slugging the umpire when he wasn’t looking.” Pittsfield won the game 6-3, and took first place in the league standings away from Nebo. Pittsfield now has a 7-2 record and Nebo a 7-3 record.

Seven Perry boys are in a peck of trouble for some devilment practiced by the boys on a couple of itinerant sign painters who camped out at Perry last Thursday. They are charged with malicious mischief.

75 Years Ago

June 30, 1948

Ivan Curley’s new Cardinal Inn will open for business Saturday morning at its new location west of Super Food Mart on West Washington Street. Designed and built by Ed Lowry, the structure is a thing of beauty inside and out. A huge neon sign, yet to be mounted, will announce the restaurant at the edge of the street. It will be open 24 hours a day, with drive-in service available from noon to midnight.

West Pittsfield is one of the fastest growing business districts in the state. Within a year’s time the far end of West Washington Street has become a formidable business district and within the next year it is apt to rival, in many respects, the public square as a business attraction.

Harold Voshall has reconsidered and decided to accept the superintendency of Unit 10 schools.

Work on the huge generating plant, north of Pittsfield, for the Rural Electrification Administration is expected to start around July 6. A fund of $1,285,000 has been approved for the project. The Democrat-Times received two telegrams making the announcement—one from U.S. Senator Scott W. Lucas and one from Congressman Sid Simpson.

50 Years Ago

July 3, 1973

It looks like the “Pig Day” commemorative stamp is going to be a sellout. Orders for the stamp are coming in from all over the country, according to the Pike County Historical Society, publishers of the limited-edition stamps.

Tom Troutner has resigned from the Pittsfield Unit 10 board of education to take a job as maintenance foreman for the entire school district.

By a unanimous vote of the five members present, the Pittsfield Unit 10 board of education voted Monday night to close the Rockport School and transport the 33 grade school students there to Pittsfield attendance centers this fall.

Charles Grigsby of Northbrook has announced that Grigsby Enterprises has purchased the Pike County Cheese Company from Willam Tate. Grigsby’s son, David, will be general manager and his brother, Charles O., will be comptroller. The cheese will be marketed under the label, Lorraine.

Miss Diane Marie Genenbacher and Rickerd Weir Zimmerman were married at the St. John Catholic Church in Quincy Saturday, June 16. The bride’s parents are Mr. and Mrs. George Genenbacher, of Quincy and the bridegroom’s parents are Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Zimmerman of Pittsfield.

The grand dame of Pittsfield, the East School building, has been spared immediate extinction, thanks to an agreement entered into last week between the Pittsfield Unit 10 board of education and the Pike County Historical Society, represented by attorney Paul Grote.

25 Years Ago

July 1, 1998

Very slowly, very carefully, the Nebo American Legion building second floor was dropped to ground level Saturday morning, leaving the post office and Wanda Sealock’s buildings almost intact. The job was done by a Callender Construction Company backhoe.

Bill McCartney resigned last year, after 40 years as a federal USDA employee. Martha Sheppard has taken over his position as coordinator of the Two Rivers Resource, Conservation and Development Service.

10 years Ago

July 3, 2013

Six Pike County Korean War veterans who took the June 20 Honor Flight say the experience left an impact on them which they won’t ever forget. Jack Bristow of Milton, Merle Carlton of Barry, Don Chamberlain of Pittsfield, Andy Chaplin of Griggsville, Harry Gleckler of New Salem and John Grisham of Pittsfield were the six who departed, toured Washington, D.C. and returned to Quincy—all in 22 hours.

After 23 years of teaching her children the way she wanted her children taught, Judy Ferguson has retired from Pittsfield High School. She taught family consumer science and personal relations, and had the opportunity of having all three of her children—Chad, Zack and Cassie—in her classroom at one time or another.

Ken D. Renoud recently retired from the BNSF Railroad after 44 years. Renoud lives with his wife, Dorothy, on their farm in rural Pleasant Hill. They have two daughters, Amanda (Dave) Harris of rural Summer Hill and Kimberly Renoud of St. Charles, Mo.

• Compiled by Michael Boren