90 Years Ago
January, 1919
The Monroe City News entered into its 45th consecutive year of publication in Monroe City.
It was the fourth year of ownership of Miss Anne E. Nolen as publisher and editor.
The undertaking parlors of F.M. Wilson & Son were fitted up with new fixtures and arrangements, providing a parlor where funeral services could be held.
Former President Theodore Roosevelt died at his home in Oyster Bay, N.Y., on January 6.
City tax collections during December totaled slightly over $5,000, according to a report by W.M. Patterson, acting collector in the absence of A. Leon Hays, who was serving in France with a unit of U.S. Army.

80 Years Ago
January 4, 1929
Mr. and Mrs. J.B. (Bede) Williams observed their golden wedding anniversary on December 31, 1928. Mrs. Williams before her marriage was Miss Martha Pike, member of a pioneer Catholic family in St. Stephen Parish. Mr. and Mrs. Williams had five living children, Mrs. Ora Green, Maurice Williams, Mrs. Albert Buckman, Sidney Williams and Martin Williams. A son and daughter were deceased. Their grandchildren numbered 46.
Twenty-four boys in the vocational agriculture department of Monroe City High School had total receipts of $5,055 on their projects during the 1927-28 period, according to a report by Roy W. Carpenter, director of this department.
P.F. White purchased the Krenning-Schlapp Grocery Co. branch wholesale house in this city. J.A. Montgomery, who had been manager for the former owners, remained as salesman with Mr. White.
Miss Ina Lillis and Bernard Mudd were married December 25, 1928.
S. Dent Owen, marshal of Monroe City, was fatally injured in an auto collision on U.S. Highway 36 January 2. The officer had been to Moberly to recover a car stolen from Charles Meeker. Tom Spalding was appointed to succeed Owen.

70 Years Ago
January 5, 1939
New officers in Monroe County taking office January 1 were: Lamar Utterback, presiding judge; Mason Rogers, judge of eastern district; and B. Earl Cowherd, state representative. Officers entering new terms in their offices on that date were: C. Roy Mitchell, circuit clerk; A.T. Stuart, probate judge; Lon Jackson, treasurer, and Frank P. Wingate, county clerk. Leo Bell of Saline Township was the new presiding judge of the Ralls County court.
Work started on the installation of a new Worthington Diesel engine unit in the municipal power plant. This plant generated 1,757,000 kilowatt hours of electrical energy during 1938, which was an increase of 472,000 kilowatt hours over the previous year.
Mr. and Mrs. John M. Medcalf moved to their new modern home south of Monroe City on U.S. Highway 24.

60 Years Ago
January 6, 1949
C.E. Robey was elected the first president of the newly formed organization, Monroe City Business Association. Raymond Noel was elected secretary and Norvin Yates, treasurer.
Joseph A. Fry, II, son of Mr. and Mrs. Weber Fry, was killed in an automobile accident near Paris on New Year’s Eve. Fry was accompanied by Billy Kern, son of Mr. and Mrs. H.C. Kern, and John Hays, son of Mr. and Mrs. Sterling Hays.
Victor Fry, son of Mr. and Mrs. Will Fry volunteered for service with the U.S. Army Air Corps.
Dr. W.D. Pipkin, a practicing physician in Monroe City for more than a quarter of a century, received international recognition by the inclusion of his biography in “World Biography,” the largest international biographical reference book.
Mr. and Mrs. T.C. Bastian announced the engagement of their daughter, Miss Deana Bastian of St. Louis, to Ronald Miller.

50 Years Ago
January 1, 1959
Cancellations on mail going through the Monroe City Post Office were down but total cash receipts were up because of the additional one cent postage hike requiring three and four cent stamps. In 1957 there were 84,751 pieces of mail and in 1958, 81,065.
The hotel at Stoutsville, known as the Valley House, was destroyed by fire December 30. The building, occupied as a home by Mr. and Mrs. Dallas Gibbs, burned to the ground.
Winter weddings included those of Miss Judith Simpson of Kirksville to Richard Ellis December 21; Miss Elizabeth Louise Ketsenburg and Donald Joseph Gander of the U.S. Air Force, North Little Rock, Ark.; Miss Sandra Tyree of Monroe City and Glen E. Rauh of Perry; and Miss Carole Kaye Eger and Private Robert Carleton Frankenbach.
New people: a son, Bret Curtis, was born to Mr. and Mrs. J.D. Gosney December 24; a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Neil Meyer December 27; a son, Marion, to Mr. and Mrs. William H. Harrison, December 28, and a son to Mr. and Mrs. Verlon Lipp December 30.
Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Cassidy quietly observed their golden wedding anniversary December 23.
Ambrose Buckman, SN, on the USS Midway, visited with A 2/c Paul Lindhorst at Shiroi Air Force Base near Tokyo, Japan, December 23 and 24. They were 1956 graduates of Holy Rosary High School and had not seen each other since 1956.

40 Years Ago
January 2, 1969
The new five-ton boiler unit was set in place at the Monroe City R-I Elementary on December 23 which replaced the crack boiler that forced the closing of school on December 14.
Rev. Gregory Yates, S.C.J., son of George G. Yates, returned to the United States from Sumatra in Indonesia, to visit with his family.
Pfc. Patrick Pollitt and Pfc. Michael Pollitt, brothers and sons of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Pollitt, former residents of Monroe City, were assigned to duty in Vietnam.
Births: a son, Anthony Albert, December 28 to Mr. and Mrs. Jose Garcia of Alexandria, Va; a son, Gary Richard, December 25, to Mr. and Mrs. Wilfred Shaw.

30 Years Ago
January 4, 1979
The first winter storm hit town with a blizzard and steadily dropping temperatures leaving the schools throughout the area closed.
Second Lieut. Larry H. Burris received his bars from his mother during an Army ROTC Commissioning Ceremony held at Northeast Missouri State University in Kirksville. He was to report for basic officers training at Fort Harrison in Indianapolis and was to serve in the Adjutant General’s Corps in Germany.
Births: a daughter, Laura Beth, December 26 to Mr. and Mrs. Larry Forbis of Hallsville; a son, Joseph Richard, December 27 to Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kendrick; a daughter, Kortney Lea, December 15 to Mr. and Mrs. Allen Key.

20 Years Ago
January 5, 1989
Janice Schnitzler became a partner in Michael’s Flowers and they plan to expand their business.
Births: a daughter, Linsey Renae, December 22 to Scott and Riss Hays.
The Businessmen’s Association could disband if there wasn’t enough interest to continue, according to Frankie LaRue BMA president.
Abel’s Quik Shop opened it business December 27 located at the intersection Highway 24 and Business 36.

10 Years Ago
January 5, 1999
Taken from the files of The Lake Gazette
Mary Elizabeth Quinn, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Quinn, died from results of an automobile accident while returning home from a skiing trip in Iowa.
Local residents flocked to the C & R Market to stock up on staples as the worst snow storm in years hit the area. It was reported that five inches of snow fell on Dec. 30, 12 inches on Jan. 1 and that two more inches fell on Jan. 2.
Michael and Tricia Rosendale of Emden were the proud parents of the New Year’s Baby, born at 3:40 a.m. on Jan. 1. She was named Braidee Nicole.
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph W. Minor of Stoutsville were to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary January 10.
The United Methodist Church removed an 1860 bell as the church undergoes major renovations and will be stored until the renovations are completed. The bell was then to be encased and hung outside the newly remodeled church.

 

This is part two of Monroe County Trivia.
Last week’s column asked three sets of questions about some historic street scenes in Monroe County that could be answered from information in “Monroe City, Missouri, a Sesquicentennial History 1857-2007.”
Here are the answers to those Trivia questions:

Do you remember when the Post Office was located in the Proctor Building at the corner of North Main and Winter Streets?

Q#1: How many years did the Post Office occupy that location and what was its next
address?
A#1: The Post Office occupied the corner office of the Proctor Building at Main and Winter Streets from 1891 to 1940 when it moved to the Robey Building in the former Farmers & Merchants bank building on the wedge.

Q#2: What family business opened in 1888 in the tallest building on this block and where is it located today?
A#2: In 1888 L. C. Saunders built a building specifically for his drug store, which he owned and operated until 1910. Today Mark and Denise Saunders carry on the 120-year family tradition at their Gateway Pharmacy in Mark Twain Center, the only full service pharmacy in Monroe City.

Q#3: Which business do you remember occupying the store nearest the railroad track?
A#3: Herman Levy opened his Cash Clothing Store at this location about 1926. The Railway Steak House was the last business to occupy the building under the distinctive design of the second floor. It is currently for sale.

Q#4: When was shingled awning added to these and other downtown stores?
A#4: In 1975, Allen Nelson of Red Oak, Iowa, was hired by the Monroe City Bicentennial Commission to design a new look for the downtown business district. Many, but not all, business owners gave their stores a “facelift.”
Do you remember when East Summer Street was an active part of the business district?

Q#5: What service was provided in the two-story brick building in the Exchange Block when horses and autos shared the road?
A#5: Three of Monroe City’s leading physicians and surgeons opened a modern hospital in the Exchange Block on East Summer Street in 1894. Dr. Arch W. Ely was the sole owner by 1902; it was then called the Ely Hospital. He added physicians to the staff and moved his practice to a larger community in 1907. Dr. J. D. Scobee bought the old hospital in 1924. It was demolished when the Monroe City Fire Department expanded to the south side of the street.

Q#6: What lumber yard was located on the north side of the street? Who was the last owner and when did it close?
A#6: In 1897 Gaines & Huston opened the lumber yard that was purchased January 1, 1909 by J. S. Conway and J. V. Proctor. The wooden building was destroyed by fire the day after Christmas 1912. Conway had purchased Proctor’s interest, effective January 1, 1913. He built the brick building that housed Conway Lumber and it continued as a family business until sold to Bill Zillion July 31, 1975. He closed the business in March 1989 and the building has since been razed.

Q#7: In what year did The Farmers Elevator & Exchange Company construct the landmark 160 ft. towers seen here on West Summer? When was the Company organized and why was that location chosen?
A#7: The Farmers Elevator & Exchange Company was organized July 6, 1919. At that time a significant part of their business was shipping livestock to the St. Louis market, so the business was located next to the railroad. The 250,000 bushel concrete grain elevator was built in 1960.

Q#8: When was the Kroger Store located on Summer Street? In 1953 it and three other stores were the only grocery business listings in the telephone directory. Can you name the other three? How many grocery stores are there in Monroe City in 2008?
A#8: The Kroger store opened March 11, 1922. In 1935 C. E. Hedges became the manager of the Kroger store. In October 1945 he purchased the Robert L. Hawkins Grocery on North Main and converted it into an IGA Super Market. In 1953, The Kroger Store at 101 North Main, Crawford’s at 206 Winter, and VanMarter’s grocery and liquor store at 200 South Main were the only grocery business listings in the 1953 Monroe City telephone directory.
Do you remember when Saturday was a big day for shoppers, from Dover Street on south Main, to the Baptist Church on the north.
Q#9: What was the name of the AAA Garage that opened in 1936 at the corner of Main and Dover?
A#9: The Anderson Garage

Q#10: What tragedy, in which year, stuck the 100 block of South Main just before Christmas?
A#10: The Monroe Hotel fire on December 23, 1973 destroyed not only the landmark hotel, but five other businesses were lost and 15 families who lived in apartments became homeless.

Q#11: Less than a year after the incident in question #10, four persons lost their lives in another tragedy on South Main. Which business was affected by both?
A#11: Aggie White’s Tavern was saved from the Monroe Hotel fire, but burned a week later. She moved her tavern to the former Farmers & Merchants bank on the wedge which also housed the Baldwin Hotel. In September 1974, Aggie White, Alonzo Hinson, Everett Heskett and Leo Quinn perished in an arson fire at that location.

Q#12 What two buildings, seen in the historic photo, are no longer standing?
A#12: The Monroe Hotel and First Baptist Church no longer stand as landmark buildings in Monroe City. The Ben Franklin Store was built on site of the Monroe Hotel. Owner Paul Wavering opened for business October 31, 1974. The Steeple of the First Baptist Church is visible in both photos. On March 12, 2006 the church was so badly damaged by a tornado it had to be demolished.

If you answered at least ten out of twelve questions without referring to the Sesquicentennial Book, you are a definitely a history buff and regular reader of this column. If you had to look up a few answers, you enjoy discovering the past, but may still be more involved with the present than the past. If someone threw away your Lake Gazette from last week before you could see the pictures, they and a whole lot more are also found in the book. There are a few copies still for sale at The Lake Gazette and the Monroe County Historical Society in Paris.