Pickings from Pike’s Past: 25 YEARS AGO: ILLINI HOSPITAL BEGINS NEGOTIATIONS WITH BLESSING HOSPITAL
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150 Years Ago
Dec. 10, 1874
Augustus Simpkins has taken up his positions as sheriff of Pike this week. Joe McFarland retires and becomes one of the people.
The trustees of the Pittsfield Methodist Church deserve great credit for having been able to pay as they go with their new church building.
Next year will be lively in New Canton. The completion of the levee, the filling of the bottom with houses and farmers, the grand hotel and watering place at the salt spring, and several new business firms will tend to make things move. Sny lands are held firm at $10 to $40 an acre. How is that for lands that three years ago were a drag at 50 cents and $2 per acre?
125 Years Ago
Dec. 13, 1899
Since Saturday we have had rain, snow, wind, drizzle, fog, with a slight freezing. Today is a fine winter day with some snow on the ground.
The board of supervisors have discovered that in the state treasury there is $3,940 in county money, over plus paid in excess of bonds paid off. Quite a nice Christmas present for a bankrupt county.
Since September Miss Caroline Grote, county superintendent of schools, has visited 97 of the 160 odd schools in the county.
100 Years Ago
Dec. 10, 1924
County Superintendent of Schools John Gragg has received word that all 50 of those in Pike County who had written teachers’ examinations in November have failed. One young woman had reported she was sure she would get 100 on arithmetic but her grade was 23. For the first time in many years, the names of the applicants were not published in the Republican. Mr. Gragg did not wish to embarrass those who failed.
Two rural schools in Pike County have only three pupils each. Mrs. Faydell Hoover Preble, teacher at the Gray School south of New Salem, has three pupils. The Honey Creek School near Independence, taught by Miss Thelma Walk, has three students, all sons of Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Burbridge. Mrs. Preble receives $85 a month and Miss Walk $70. The two lowest paid teachers in the county each receive $65 a month.
Rev. Ernest Reed has been called to the pastorate of the Milton Christian Church, having delivered his first sermon there last Sunday. He takes the place of Rev. Hugh Hungerford, who goes to Tallula, Illinois.
Get your gifts at Vertrees Book Store, where ideas for gifts greet you at every turn. North side of the Pittsfield square.
75 Years Ago
Dec. 6, 1949
Ben and Richard Niebur said that burglars entered the Niebur Shoe Store Sunday night, but failed in an attempt to crack the safe. The circumstances were similar to the attempted burglary of The Republican office several weeks ago.
The wonderful new 1950 Pontiac is on display at Zimmerman Bros. The factory suggested price of a five-passenger streamliner six cylinder sedan coupe is $1783.
Mr. Merlyn Barton of Pittsfield will again head the Pike County Production and Marketing Administration Committee during the coming year.
A daughter, Vicki Jo, was born Nov. 30 at Illini Hospital to Mr. and Mrs. Walton Lowry (Martha Vooraart), Pittsfield.
Dec. 7, 1949
The candlelighted Detroit Christian Church was the scene of the pretty wedding of Hilda Williams and Leo Dunham Sunday afternoon at 2:30 o’clock. Mrs. Leo Dunham is the fifth daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Leland Williams of Detroit. Leo is the only son of Mr. and Mrs. Virgil Dunham and is a young farmer associated with his father. Both bride and groom are graduates of Pittsfield High School.
Dec. 8, 1949
The Saukees swept over Winchester 61-32 for their third straight victory.
Max Strother, 18, was slugged in an early morning robbery at the Cardinal Inn around 3:30 Wednesday morning. His assailant emptied the cash register of a little over $60. This is the most violent and brazen incident in Pike County’s mounting crime wave.
[A Pike County Republican extra, days later stated that Max Strother had admitted to stealing the money and knocking himself out by striking his head with a stool.]
The work of spreading the white crushed stone on the lead-in road to the new Hercules Powder plant on the Wackerman farm west of Pittsfield was contracted by the Pittsfield Sand and Gravel Company, managed by Eddie Knight.
50 Years Ago
Dec. 11, 1974
Deputy Sheriff Merle Carlton has been employed as a new tri-county investigative officer under Pike County Sheriff Charley Cheek. Rick Orr, formerly sheriff’s office radio operator, has been moved up to fill Carlton’s job as deputy sheriff.
PHS award winners at the football banquet were Don Bigley, Most Valuable Player and Most Valuable Back; Dana Ferguson, Most Coachable Player; Glen Hilgedick, Most Improved Player; and Phil Harpole, Most Valuable Lineman.
Senior end Wayne Chamberlain of Nebo was a 1974 defensive honorable mention choice of the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association. A Northeast Missouri State University co-captain, Chamberlain charted 46 solo tackles, three sacks and one fumble recovery.
25 Years Ago
Dec. 8, 1999
Illini Hospital was scheduled to begin negotiations with last week with Blessing Hospital in Quincy. The board hopes to have a contractual agreement in place by Feb. 1 when the contract with the current management company expires.
The Pittsfield City Council Tuesday night heard from Farmers State Bank Chairman, Lewis M. Grigsby, Jr., and the bank’s architect for its upcoming renovation, David Lauchner. They informed the council that they would be requesting a variance from the council for work being done on the building.
“The entire character of the project we are striving for is to bring the building back to the integrity of a downtown main street,” Lauchner said. He also informed the council that the entrance tower would extend approximately 50 feet into the air.
Congressman John Shimkus (R. Illinois-20) will hold traveling office hours in Pike County on Friday, Dec. 10 Pike County courthouse lower courtroom from 2-3:30 p.m.
Santa Claus will be arriving at Pearl on the Santa Train at 12:10 Saturday, Dec. 11.
The folks in Pittsfield were treated to some new entertainment on Friday as they filled Voshall Gymnasium to watch the Saukees defeat the Camp Point Central Panthers 68-35. It was directed by new coach Jon Hampton and was entitled the Brawdy-Barke Show. Seniors Josh Brawdy and Brady Barke a.k.a. the Killer B’s, combined with 34 points on the night, scoring 14 and 20 points respectively. The Saukees improved their record to 4-1.
10 Years Ago
Dec. 10, 2014
Residents of Scott and Pike counties got their first in-depth look at the proposed Grain Belt Express Clean Line at public informational meetings hosted at the Nimrod-Funk building in Winchester and the Pittsfield American Legion Hall.
Adam Ruble, son of Paul and Patti Ruble of Pittsfield, recently returned home after spending a semester abroad in India. Ruble is a senior at Monmouth College.
Pike County resident Kylie Dejaynes served as “Page for a Day” with State Senator Sam McCann Wednesday Dec. 3. She also got to meet Governor-elect Bruce Rauner.
Compiled by Michael Boren
