Pickings from Pike’s Past

By Editor | July 21, 2026 |

50 YEARS AGO: DAVID BENNETT HIRED AS PHS HEAD BASKETBALL COACH

150 Years Ago
July 20, 1876
The farmers in the Griggsville area are very busy trying to secure their crops, which are very good. A short season of fine weather would make glad the heart of the festive granger.
The usual quiet of Griggsville has lately been disturbed by ruffianism, but most of the offenders have been caught and severely fined, in consequence of which and the inability of one party to pay up, he still languishes in the calaboose.
William Huseman and his employee, Henry Kientzle, have formed a co-partnership in Pittsfield and will open a boot and shoe shop in the building formerly occupied by Mr. Huseman. They will continue to manufacture boots and shoes.
The organ concert this evening in Pittsfield promises to be the great event of the season. The reports that the concert will not come off because the name of the gentleman who is to pump the wind was not put upon the handbills, and he consequently became indignant and refuses to pump, is all a canard. He will be here and will do his duty though the heavens fall.

125 Years Ago
July 24, 1901
In Pleasant Hill Old Sol still insists on being felt and shines with power every day, with no prospects of being disturbed by a rain cloud, and the mercury insists on hanging around the 110-116 mark, which must be as hot as that place where they don’t shovel snow.
A young man in Kansas married a lady by the name of Neisenwarm. He probably thinks so this week. Quite a number of the people who are dwelling in the hotels in Pittsfield have found the courthouse park to be a desirable place to sleep these hot nights.
A couple of days spent at Barry last week convinced the writer that there are other places besides the county seat that are suffering from the heat and drouth, and Barry is one of them. Water being scarce has created quite a little industry in Barry and several teams are making a good thing of it by hauling water from the old fairground spring and from the big spring at the old woolen mill west of town.
Jacksonville, Ill reported a high of 107 degrees and Quincy, Ill reported 110 on July 22, as most of the country was covered by a hot wave.
Work has commenced on the basement of the new church that is being built in Chambersburg.
And still the multitude flocks to Oklahoma. It is estimated that more than 50 people from Pike will be in at the drawing for land that is to take place there soon.

100 Years Ago
July 21, 1926
Fair weather has been a boon to farmers who are rapidly getting their wheat threshed. It is getting hotter. Friday July 15 it was 89; Saturday it climbed to 92 and on Sunday it hit 96. On Monday it climbed to 100!
The Koeller orchard two miles northeast of New Canton is laden with fruit. The orchard contains 1800 peach trees and presents a sight more beautiful than words can describe.
The Professional Woman’s Club have undertaken to landscape the court house park. A landscape artist from Stark Brothers nursery was here a few days ago conferring with the committee. We hope the committee will see to it that it is not overdone. The park as it is now is one of the prettiest in Illinois.
President Coolidge in March, 1925, issued a proclamation inviting all states and foreign countries to participate in this celebration of 150 years of American independence. The exposition grounds, together with the League Island Navy Yard, which adjoins, comprise 2000 acres in Philadelphia.
Clark and Russell Armentrout, managers of the K. P. Theatre, are arranging to redecorate the place within the next few weeks. Since the Armentrouts took over the theatre a few years ago it has been thoroughly remodeled and is now one of the most modern picture theatres in the central west.
The Daily Carnival Company moved into Nebo from Pittsfield, and will be showing here this week.

75 Years Ago
July 17, 1951
A crowd of about 200 attended an all-day centennial celebration Sunday at the Perry Presbyterian Church.
Pike County will have an induction call for the month of August in order to supply some of the 1,438 additional men which the state of Illinois has been ordered to supply for induction into the armed forces in August.

July 18, 1951
Mrs. Gladys Hoover of Milton has consented to take over the work as Milton correspondent for the Democrat-Times. Mrs. Hoover replaces Mrs. Judson Hoover who had to give up writing the items due to poor health.

July 19, 1951
Pvt. Charles R. (Choppy) Lyman, son of Sheriff and Mrs. Ray Lyman, now stationed in Korea, has been assigned to interrogate North Korean prisoners of war. Several South Korean men have been assigned to work for him as guards and interpreters.
Pfc. William D. Harpole, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ed Harpole of near Rockport, is recovering satisfactorily from wounds incurred in his left knee in the latter part of June.

50 Years Ago
July 21, 1976
David Bennet of Godfrey has been hired to replace Leroy Orr as PHS head basketball coach. Orr cited increased responsibilities on the family farm since the death of his father last summer as a reason to step down as coach. Although currently employed in the sporting good business, Bennett has nine years of experience as a teacher and coach, and played varsity basketball and football at the University of Evansville in Indiana. He will also be assistant football coach and will teach P.E. at Pittsfield High School and drivers education at East Pike.
Employees of the Pleasant Hill Garment Co., members of Local 273 of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union, AFL-CIO Tuesday entered into their second week of a strike against the company. Sixty-five persons, mostly women, are employed at the Pleasant Hill plant, an independent contractor, making women’s sportswear that sells under several well-known labels.
Griggsville’s city water supply is getting dangerously low. Lack of rain and increased water consumption during the continued hot weather have created the problem. “The water is simply not there. All four wells are working to capacity,” Mayor Howard Staffy said Monday night.
Pittsfield’s Bicentennial celebration will be Thurs, Fri, Sat, July 29,30,31, with most of the festivities occurring on Saturday. Four ladies, Julie Boren, Mary Bergman, Mikki Rush and Nanci Belt are pictured building a Pike Press float for the parade on the 31st.

25 Years Ago
July 18, 2001
Bryce Frieden has taken to the sport of archery with a passion. The 11-year-old Pittsfield boy has been shooting a bow for about three years. Frieden entered the Illinois Archery Association state championship tournament recently and came out as the newly-crowned champion for his division.
Elmo Staggs, 90, of Pittsfield, died July 11 at the Pittsfield Healthcare Center. Mr. Staggs was a 1929 graduate of Barry High School and a U. S. Navy veteran of World War II. As a lifelong Democrat, Mr. Staggs was a former precinct committeeman and Pittsfield Township supervisor, and was known as “Mr. Democrat” around Pike County.

10 Years Ago
July 20, 2016
The Missouri Department of Transportation has set an aggressive goal to have a new Champ Clark bridge open to traffic Nov. 1 2019 in response to the Sny Drainage District’s concerns regarding the type of approach the bridge will have.
Jason Thomas, a 12-year member of the Pittsfield Fire Department, was named the American Legion State Firefighter of the year Friday afternoon at the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield. Thomas had been elected Firefighter of the Year by the Pittsfield Department earlier this year.

■ Compiled by Michael Boren

Posted in News