Out of the past: Dec. 19

1999

​The Rev. Ranford Hewitt of Carron Hall, Jamaica, is guest speaker at the morning worship service at Evangelical United Church of Christ; Hewitt is visiting Cape Girardeau for two weeks as part of a partnership between the Carron Hall United Church and Evangelical Church; a meal in his honor follows the service.

The final pair of Florsheim shoes will roll off the assembly line at the Cape Girardeau Florsheim Shoe Co. manufacturing facility Tuesday, marking an end to an industry that has operated here almost a century; Florsheim Shoe Co., which once occupied a multi-level structure on North Main, will close its modern plant at the intersection of South West End Boulevard and Southern Expressway on Tuesday, putting the final 200 workers there out of work.

1974

​In split voting last night, the Cape Girardeau City Council placed a status quo on a request for a special use permit to develop a privately owned family recreation center on 13.18-acres of land at the northeast corner of Interstate 55 and Hopper Road; the voting followed a lengthy hearing on the request of the would-be developers, Robert M. Harrison and Cape Rock Inc., the latter composed of five businessmen — Samuel L. Gill, Bill H. Berry, Dr. C. John Ritter, Bradshaw Smith and Terry R. Begley; the development would include lighted and unlighted tennis courts, a swimming pool, archery range, a clubhouse of rustic architecture offering steam and sauna baths, game room and enclosed glass room for inside viewing of outdoor recreation.

Just how safe is Cape Girardeau’s drinking water may be determined within six months; testing of the water has been ordered by the federal Environmental Protection Agency as part of a nationwide study of chemicals some scientists believe can cause cancer.

1949

​District legislators in the General Assembly make some derisive — and caustic — comments concerning an article appearing in yesterday’s St. Louis Globe-Democrat, which purported to disclose that legislators are considering abandoning three State Colleges, including the one at Cape Girardeau; to all it was a surprise, something they had never discussed either in session or in the corridors of the Capitol.

The post office is groaning under its heaviest mail of the Christmas season; during this last week of shopping, stores will remain open late to accommodate last-minute shoppers; and extra police have been added to Cape Girardeau business sections to discourage un-holiday-like conduct and traffic congestion.

1924

​Cape Girardeau suffered light damage from the storm that Thursday and last night raged over the entire Midwest; snow and sleet combined with sub-zero temperatures have caused damages amounting to millions of dollars, especially to telegraph and telephone wires; this city was cut off from St. Louis by telephone, due to trouble farther north; there were a number of automobile accidents here, caused by the icy roads.

A large Christmas tree, 18 feet in height and 12 feet wide at the base, will be adorned with candles and glistening ornaments at the community celebration to be given by the business men of Good Hope Street on Tuesday night; the tree has been ordered and, on the night of the celebration, will be mounted in the middle of the block on Good Hope, between Frederick and Sprigg; after a short program, gifts will be given to all the children present.

Southeast Missourian librarian Sharon Sanders compiles the information for the daily Out of the Past column. She also writes a weekend column called “From the Morgue” that showcases interesting historical stories from the newspaper.