From the Archives

1993 – 30 years ago

One arrest was made Monday by St. Francois County Sheriff’s Department personnel in the recent St. Francois County Country Club break-in. At press time, a second arrest was expected “shortly” by department personnel. An alert neighbor reported seeing two people hanging around the country club June 21. Deputies apparently interrupted a burglary attempt. A number of items were found strewn about inside the country club. Outside, a Honda Accord with Florida plates was found, along with 15 sets of Ping 1-2 golf clubs, stolen from about 20 storage lockers. The car was reported stolen from the Econo Lodge in Ozora, Mo., on Interstate 55, south of Ste. Genevieve. Monday, Laura A. Miroff, 23, of Indianapolis, was arrested.

The Missouri Department of Public Safety has denied a $139,000 grant application to fund a tri-county anti-drug task force; however, a $70,000 grant is expected to be awarded, Farmington Police Chief Bob Oder, chairman of the Mineral Area Task Force Board — the St. Francois, Washington, and Iron counties entity that submitted the original application — said the board recently approved a $70,000 application. “That application will be approved by the state,” Oder said. “We’ve been assured of that.”

The major expansion of Farmington’s Industrial Park and the Farmington Regional Airport were the topics of last week’s meeting of the Farmington Rotary Club held at the Country Kitchen Restaurant. Guest speaker Jim Dismuke, Farmington economic development coordinator and assistant city administrator, discussed many current projects that will both improve the quality of life and enhance economic development in the city. He pointed to work now underway on the 1-million-gallon water storage tank being built in the northern part of the city. When completed, the tank will be a major landmark on U.S. 67, much like the widely recognized one on U.S. 55 at Arnold.

An update on the feasibility of building a city civic center was presented by members of two ad hoc committees at Thursday’s City Council work session. Councilman Jim Kellogg of the Finance Committee said that after two meetings, it’s been determined that the best means of funding a civic center “would probably” be an extension of the present 1/2-cent sales tax. He said it would cost about $4 million to $5 million to build a center. Those figures were arrived at after committee members studied similar civic centers in other cities. Kellogg said the committee looked at groups and other entities that might contribute in some way toward the construction and maintenance of a center. “Most response is positive,” he said.

It’ll take a long line of dollars to give Long Memorial Hall the complete makeover the hall’s Restoration Committee says it needs — like $400,000. Committee member Steve Owens made the Farmington City Council an offer Thursday it may or may not be able to refuse. After handing councilmen a 46-page packet of information detailing various aspects of the proposed renovation of the landmark, Owens remarked it will eventually cost the city — if it plans to continue using the building — $200,000 to bring it into compliance with a variety of building codes. He said if the city foots that bill, and kicks in another $100,000, the Restoration Committee will raise $100,000, and all will be well.

1973 – 50 years ago

As far as Farmington Postmaster Elmer Brown knows, the rumors that Farmington may lose its First-Class Post Office rating is just a rumor — nothing more. Brown said all he knows about it is a letter that the Farmington B and PW sent to members and a visit he had from the Chamber of Commerce Secretary and President. “We’ve been First Class here more than 30 years,” Brown told The Press, and unless they create some different type of classification, we’ll remain that. Even if they do, it won’t make any change in service here.”

The young son of Farmington High School Principal Larry Ackley and Mrs Ackley’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Baeunlein of St. Joseph, were involved in a two-car accident June 18 that seriously injured the Baeunleins. After having visited the Ackleys in Farmington, the Baeunleins were taking their grandson Allen back with them to St. Joseph when the car Baeunlein was driving collided with another vehicle just outside of St. Clair, Mo. The Baeunleins were taken by ambulance to a hospital in Washington, Mo., where Mr. Baeunlein received attention for a broken leg, and his wife was treated for a broken back. Young Allen was not seriously hurt. Baeunlein was released from the hospital on June 23 and is currently confined to a wheelchair, but his wife has been transferred to a St. Joseph hospital and remains a patient there. Mrs. Larry Ackley spent last week in St. Joseph caring for her parents.

Last week Miss Anna Marie Barton, an 18-year-old girl from Leadwood, enlisted in the Air Force as a “Cryogenic Fluids Production Specialist” and strengthened Recruiting Sgt. John Fox’s opinion that “Women’s lib sure has come a long way!” During the past few months, the Farmington recruiting station has been enlisting an increasing number of women into the Air Force, and the jobs these gals are filling make the average typist sound like Plane Jane.

Thirty-five Farmington intermediate summer school students participated in a walking tour of Farmington. The students divided into two groups accompanied by their teachers. They left the school within a half hour of each other. The Long House was first on the day’s agenda. Mrs. Alex Hahn, whose family originally owned the house, was the guide for the groups and gave historical facts about the house and its contents.

1963 – 60 years ago

The dedication of Farmington’s new city-owned airport last Sunday attracted a crowd variously estimated at between 4,000 and 5,000 who braved sweltering 90-degree weather to see the program. A spectacular program by the famed Cole Brothers Air Show followed the formal dedication ceremonies in the early afternoon. In the absence of Mayor Orville Woodard, who was prevented from attending because of his duties in the Missouri Legislature, Alderman Albert M. Foreman presided.

Among the jumpers at the Farmington Airport Dedication last Sunday was a local youth, Paul Tinker, now of St. Charles, Mo. Paul is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Tinker of Farmington. He is a graduate of St. Joseph Catholic High School and was in the 82nd Airborne stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C. Gene Gardner, St. Louis, and Tim Murphy, St. Charles, Mo., also did some parachuting with Charles Hoppe Sunday. Paul, his wife, and their sons, Michael and Dennis, visited with his parents while here. Mrs. Joseph Tinker said that her son and his companions were very much impressed with the size and scope of the new airport. They were grateful, she said, to the airport management and to Mr. Hoppe for the invitation and hoped to be asked back again.

The Doe Run Planned Progress group has engaged the very famous Stamps Quartet from Memphis, Tenn., for Saturday evening, July 13. This gospel singing concert will be held in the high school gym in Doe Run at 8:00 p.m. Planned Progress is proud to present this unusually talented group as one of the highlights of their summer program. Other groups to sing will be the Jubilaires Quartet from Salem, the Doe Run Gospel Rangers, and the Gospel Light Quartet.

On Sunday, July 7, Mr. Ralph Dureman, from St. Louis, will begin his interim ministry for the Farmington Christian Church. Mr. Bureman is a native of Belleville. Kansas, where he graduated from high school. He received his A.B. degree from Phillips University, Enid, Oklahoma, and was awarded the Bachelor of Divinity degree from The Graduate Seminary of Phillips University in 1948. During World War II, he served with the United States Army Air Force. His pastorates have included First Christian Church, Frederick. Oklahoma and First Christian Church, Alva, Oklahoma.

1953 – 70 years ago

Several bad checks were passed in both Farmington and Flat River the past week by an unknown woman shopper. The checks were cashed at clothing and food stores and were invariably for amounts larger than the cost of the merchandise purchased. Law enforcement officers and banks in the county have warned individuals and merchants for years against cashing checks for unknown persons. Persons attempting to pass worthless forged checks, they point out, are interested primarily in getting as much cash in return as possible.

The Missouriana Tour, sponsored jointly by the Missouri State Chamber of Commerce and Central Missouri Teachers College, Warrensburg, composed of twenty-four teachers and John R. Thompson, the Executive Vice-President of the State Chamber, spent over Tuesday night at the St. Francois Hotel in Farmington. This is the second week out, having started from St. Joseph. Among the towns and places of special interest that have been visited are Kansas City, Centralia, the J. C. Penney Farm at Hamilton, St. Louis, the Lead Mines in St. Francois County, Pittsburgh Plate Glass at Crystal City, and a return trip to St. Louis. The tour will end this week.

Mr. Joe M. Toalson, principal of Farmington High School, and Miss Helen Peterson, Junior High School English teacher, have received scholarships to the Workshop in Economic Education at Washington University. The Workshop is staffed by some of America’s outstanding leaders in economics, labor, agriculture, and curriculum study and is sponsored by the St. Louis Regional Council on Economic Education, St. Louis Rotary Club, and the Better Business Bureau of St. Louis, in cooperation with Washington University and the Joint Council on Economic Education.

1943 – 80 years ago

All records for cold weather during the latter part of June were broken this week when the temperature took a sudden drop Monday after a period of unusually hot weather. F. M. Karsch, local weather observer, reports a low temperature early Tuesday morning of 58 degrees. Instead of warming up, the weather continued to grow colder, and on Wednesday morning, a record low of 49 was recorded. Yesterday morning the reading rose to a cold 51 degrees. Government weather forecasters are not permitted to give the reason for the sudden drop in temperatures during war times. However, the weather has done no particular harm to crops, while it has brought great relief from the high temperatures of last week.

An announcement has been made by the Southeast Missouri Telephone Company that effective on July 12th, they will discontinue giving the correct time of the day to telephone subscribers. and will also refuse to answer calls seeking to know the location of fires immediately after the fire alarm has been sounded. The step is being taken reluctantly by the telephone company and only after they have definitely decided that every possible saving must be made to conserve the time of the operators and the physical equipment of the telephone, which cannot be replaced during wartime.

The War Production Board has been assigned a quota of 110,000 board feet of softwood lumber for specific farm needs for St. Francois County. In order for a farmer to secure this lumber, it is necessary for him to make an application for a Preference Rating of AA-2 at the county War Board Office. Lumber secured under this special rating cannot be used for dwellings. It can be used only for on-farm construction of the following types — (1) Maintenance and repair of agricultural buildings or equipment, (2) new construction essential to the food production program, and (3) the reconstruction of essential agricultural buildings destroyed by fire.

Holders of ration books are cautioned by the local War Price and Rationing Board to guard against the loss or theft of books. In accordance with a new ruling, Boards are prevented from replacing lost or stolen books for a thirty-day period. This ruling was made necessary by the large number of books that have been lost or stolen since rationing started. The Rationing Board has pointed out the necessity of carefully guarding against the loss or theft of books by showing, for example, the seriousness of our food problem. Food must be carefully conserved if we are to have an adequate diet, and the loss or theft of food ration books creates further problems.

In recent weeks, St. Francois County farmers are coming to the realization that it is not only possible but practical to use prison labor. This type of labor is increasing in demand in the county, as may well be shown when last week a contract was drawn up with one man for a period of thirty days, or 240 man-days. The recent change to a minimum of a two-day contract has not greatly affected the farmer. A few points to keep in mind in using this labor are here tested. By securing this labor for more than one day, it is possible to save one-fourth of the cost of transportation, as guards are permitted to drive the trucks on return trips to camp and back to the place of employment the next morning.

1933 – 90 years ago

Although the term of the present postmaster of the Farmington Post Office expired on the first of this month, there has been no announcement made as yet of the new appointee. There has been considerable confusion regarding Federal appointments this year because of the great program for recovery that is now underway and which has been requiring the full time of the Administration. Several prominent local Democrats are seeking the appointment as Farmington Postmaster. We believe they are all qualified, and any one of them would make a fine official. However, Congressman Clyde Williams, who has the power of designating the appointee, will undoubtedly select the one whom he thinks has been the greatest aid to the Democratic party. Word of the new Postmaster’s appointment is expected any day.

On Monday of this week, the Rice-Stix Shirt Factories at Farmington and Bonne Terre announced a raise in the pay of their employees, amounting to ten percent. Most of the employees are on piece work, and their pay varies accordingly. Yesterday officials of the local factory stated to a representative of the Press that the factory was receiving a continual line of orders that taxed the capacity of the plant. Additional workers have been employed from day to day until the present time, when 160 persons are on the payroll, marking the highest number since the start of the factory early this year.

The continued advance of the lead market since last March resulted last Monday in a notice by the St. Joseph Lead Company to the effect that on that day, they were raising the pay of every employee in this district by 10 percent. This was the first raise granted by the company since the start of the Depression in 1929. During that time, the company was forced to make two cuts in pay, one of 15 percent and an additional one of 10 percent.

John Lasource, aged about 84 years, was found dead in bed in his room in the Tetley Building at the rear of Pelty’s Book Store last Tuesday morning after Sheriff Presnell had broken into his room. Death had come from natural causes. Mr. Lasource had lived in Farmington for some forty years. He was separated from his wife many years ago, and since that time, he had lived alone in various rooming houses here. He was quiet although friendly and was well thought of about town. Because of his age and failing health, he had been unable to work for a living, and arrangements had been made to place him in the county infirmary within a short time.

Figures released by the St. Louis Weather Station have proven the belief that the recent month of June was really a scorcher. That is, if anyone really needed any proof other than the discomfort occasioned by the sweltering heat. According to their figures, the recent June was the hottest of any during the past sixty years that the station has been in existence. Since June 18, the temperature mounted to 95 or more every day with one exception. The highest temperature was recorded on the last day of the month at 103 degrees. That was the hottest June day since 1931.

If the 15 percent pay cut given postal employees April 1 remains in effect after July 1, as is expected, the total cut employees will receive will amount to 25 percent during the period from July to October. This is due to the fact that Postmaster General Farley recently issued an order requiring postal employees to take a nine-day payless furlough between July 1 and October 1. The furlough plan amounts to a 10 percent cut. The April order, providing for the 15 percent cut, was to remain in effect until July 1, but is expected to be renewed at that time for an additional 3 months.