Pickings from Pike’s Past: 75 YEARS AGO: HALF TON OF MUSHROOMS GATHERED IN PIKE COUNTY
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150 Years Ago
May 27, 1875
There died recently at Three Oaks, Mich. a wonderful man, Fredick P. Warren, inventor of one of the most curious pieces of mechanism ever known. This production is called a calculating machine. The machine is beautiful in its appearance and astonishing in its operation. It divides, adds, subtracts and multiplies at one operation in fractions or whole numbers.
Mrs. John Jordan, mother of seven children, died of measles. The oldest child was 12 years of age. All the children had measles at the time of the mother’s death. Also, in town, a young man by the name of Madison died of measles after being confined to bed for about four weeks.
125 Years Ago
May 30, 1900
Sunday’s ball game at spring pasture between Barry and Pittsfield resulted in favor of the home boys. The score was quickly run up to the 20 mark, and after that was rather uninteresting.
There was heavy rain south of Pittsfield last week and Honey Creek overflowed, the water covering all the bottom. The veteran wood chopper, Walter Kindred, was at work in the Barber woods, his horse turned loose and buggy standing near the creek. The water rose so quickly and so high that the buggy went off down the stream and hadn’t returned at the latest account.
The First National Bank folks have commenced the remodeling of their banking house and of Dr. Duffield’s office.
The Decoration Day services, which are of the ordinary character and with no great amount of preparation this year, are in full sway. G.A.R. veterans, 50 strong, attended memorial services at the Pittsfield Congregational Church Sunday.
Last week the Pittsfield public schools closed until fall. The programs all came off at the K. P. opera house.
100 Years Ago
May 27, 1925
Miss Mary Heck, Pittsfield’s foremost gardener, says that the frost Sunday night, May 24, did but little damage to her garden. She had her first mess of new potatoes that day. The temperature dropped from 98 on Thursday to 28 Sunday night.
Pittsfield board of education has secured Harold Beckman of Toulon, Ill. as athletic coach for next year at a salary of $2000. He was a football start at the state university at Normal and is also a tennis expert.
Rev. H. E. Keltner, who recently resigned as pastor of the Pittsfield Christian Church preached his last sermon Sunday morning. There was an attendance of more than 400. The Methodist Church dismissed after Sunday School and more than 200 of their congregation attended services at the Christian Church.
Reports at the office of County Superintendent John B. Gragg show that 303 pupils passed seventh and eighth grade finals out of the 632 who wrote recently. Pupils were required to write on Reading, Orthography, Spelling, History, Arithmetic, Grammar, Geography and Physiology.
For the first time in many years, the graduating exercises of the Pittsfield schools will be held in a church—the First M. E.—on account of the exorbitant charges asked for the use of the opera house. In years gone by, the graduation ceremonies were always held in some church. The first graduating class from the Pittsfield schools held its exercises at the Methodist Church, the graduates being Thomas Worthington, Will Klein and John Boothby. All of these young men afterwards became students at Cornell. In the second graduating class was our own Judge Harry Higbee and Frank Jones, now a prominent man of Chicago. A class of 42, 28 girls and 14 boys compose the high school graduates this year.
75 Years Ago
May 23, 1950
Folks can tell their grandchildren some day that on May 5, 1950 they lived through the greatest windstorm in our history. The wind blew all day May 5 at an average velocity of 50 to 60 miles per hour, rising in the afternoon to 70-mile gusts. As compared with the Armistice Day storm of Nov. 11, 1940, the most destructive windstorm of past history, National Underwriters say the winds of May 5-6 will produce perhaps 2 ½ times more losses in number and three times the dollar loss.
Sunday, May 14 was a veritable red-letter day for the Perry Methodist Church when the 100th anniversary commemoration was observed.
Old timers say that this is Pike’s biggest mushroom year. It takes a lot of even the larger English morel mushrooms to weigh a pound, but mushroomers say that no less that a half ton of that delicious fungi has been gathered hereabouts this past season. Boys are still bringing them into Pittsfield Saturday in 5 and 6 pound lots. Some boys have received up to $1 per pound for mushrooms in Louisiana and Hannibal.
May 24, 1950
Thursday morning, May 25, at nine o’clock the Kroger store will reopen its doors after being closed over six weeks for remodeling. The first 200 women customers will each receive a free angel food cake.
Pearl High School will graduate eight seniors this year, Chambersburg High will graduate 10 and Barry will graduate 29. Perry has three graduates and Griggsville will graduate 36.
May 25, 1950
The “new” Aldrich drugstore has now opened for business. A grand opening is scheduled for a later date.
Pittsfield High School had 91 graduates this spring, the largest class in Pittsfield history.
The New Canton grade school track team coached by Verdie Smith have won the county B division track titles eight times in the past nine years. This has been a wonderful year for Smith’s teams. His basketball team lost only one game and his softball team lost only one match. Both losses were during tournaments. New Canton softball teams have only lost three games in the past five years. Coach Smith is leaving his position in the West Pike district. He has served as principal of the grade school and has now accepted a position as veterans instructor.
50 Years Ago
May 28, 1975
Twenty-two applications have been received for the position of administrator of Illini Hospital. President Bill McCartney said the personnel committee is establishing guidelines for the eventual interviews. Harold Voshall is chairman of the personnel committee.
The Perry community celebrated Memorial Day Sunday, May 25, with the dedication of a new veterans memorial which displays the names of some 200 Perry citizens who gave their lives for their country.
The Pike County Historical Society tour on June 6 will include the antique farm machinery collection belonging mostly to John and Jim Sanderson, which will be viewed by the public for the first time. It is on the century-old farm of Mr. and Mrs. Virgil Henry. Also, the blacksmith shop located a half block west of the Milton square will be opened. Three generations of Moores have worked in the shop. Kelly Moore will explain tools and equipment used by his forefathers. Green Pond church and cemetery will feature continuous music played on a carillon, a gift from Mrs. Ruth Roberts Lingle. Refreshments will be served at the famous old Bethel Church and cemetery between Detroit and Griggsville.
Mrs. Janice Hunter Eiseman, the former Janice Hunter, was graduated May 18 with high honors from the University of Connecticut Law School. She is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Donald Hunter od RR 1, Pittsfield.
Perry High School will graduate 16 seniors May 29, and Pleasant Hill High School will graduate 44 seniors on the same evening.
Approximately 1000 people attended the grand opening last week of Carnes and Sons all new headquarters of Trailer World, located on route 107.
Don Peebles has resigned as Nebo Grade School principal. He has accepted a position as principal of the Pleasant Hill Elementary School.
25 Years Ago
May 24, 2000
Lonnie Lemon, who has served the past 17 years as assistant principal at Quincy Notre Dame, has been named principal of Pittsfield High School. Lemons says he will be shopping very soon for red and black clothing.
The West Pike school board has accepted the resignation of Rodger Hannel with regret, and has named Gordon Samson of Pleasant Hill as interim superintendent until a permanent person can fill the position.
Mr. and Mrs. William Freesmeyer of Pleasant Hill have announced the engagement of their daughter, Lori Michelle Freesmeyer to Darin Duane Workman of Griggsville. He is the son of Dennis and Evelyn Workman of Griggsville.
10 Years Ago
May 27, 2015
Bryce Bogue, of Nebo, who was in the military for more than five years, honored Memorial Day by walking from Nebo to Pittsfield in full military garb with an American flag flying from his backpack. His goal is to make Pittsfield and then on to Louisiana, Mo.
The annual spring recital of the students of Cleve and Susanne Curry was held April 18 at the Griggsville United Methodist Church. Eighteen piano students took part, along with several violin, cello and trumpet students. Cookies and punch were enjoyed in the Good Shepherd Hall following the program.
Memorial Day was commemorated in various location on Pike County. At the Pittsfield West Cemetery Nebo native, Don Chamberlain, now of Pittsfield, wore the same uniform he was issued while serving in the Korean War 61 years ago.
Compiled by Michael Boren
