Out of the past: Jan. 19

2000

A half-mile parade and reception yesterday morning marked the changeover of Barbara Blanchard Elementary School from “a hillside, an idea and a budget” to an operating elementary school; superintendent Dr. Dan Steska called the school’s opening a “climactic change” that represented Cape Girardeau’s first new school since 1967.

The Jackson Board of Education will seek voter approval of a bond issue and tax increase for construction projects and to cover operating costs; the board voted 6-0 last night to place two resolutions on the April 4 ballot; one calls for an $11 million bond issue to fund construction of an elementary school in the eastern part of the district, cover costs to build an addition and complete various renovations at the junior high school, and equip the builds and add technological equipment throughout the district.

1975

The old Schonhoff barn, sitting commandingly amid new apartment complexes in the 2000 block of Independence Street, will remain a city landmark, according to the Rev. Jack Strickland, pastor of the Lighthouse Bible Baptist Church, which recently purchased the big red barn; the former dairy barn has been used most recently as a nightclub; it will be remodeled to serve the church, established last year in June, keeping as much of the original structure as possible.

Four of Cape Girardeau’s City Council members, including Mayor Howard C. Tooke, have told the Missourian they will discuss the controversial county jail matter during a council study session Tuesday and possibly take an official stand against the indicated squandering of nearly $80,000 if the jail isn’t built on the County Farm in Cape Girardeau; meanwhile, County Court Associate Judge J. Ronald Fischer of Cape Girardeau, the only member of the court to support the farm site, says he will urge that the court submit the jail location question to county voters at the April 8 general election.

1950

Freezing rain and a heavy coating of sleet bring misery to thousands of refugees from the depopulated Birds Point Spillway, but the surge of cold weather adds to the feeling of confidence that the spillway won’t be inundated; the sharp drop in temperature is encouraging because it tends to hold back surface run-off water, allowing a faster fall of the river when the crest is reached.

A number of accidents occurred overnight, after sleet covered Southeast Missouri streets and highways; however, Cape Girardeau police and the Highway Patrol say few injuries resulted in this vicinity; seven trucks and a Greyhound bus were halted on a hill on Highway 61, three miles north of Cape Girardeau, when the driver of a truck stopped on the slick incline to assist a motorist whose car had skidded and overturned near the highway; the trucks and bus weren’t able to ascend the hill due to the icy surface, until a Highway Department cinder crew arrived; driver of the automobile, Ellis Baker of Cape Girardeau, wasn’t injured.

1925

J.J. Miller, a building contractor from Illmo, will begin construction of a new school in Steele within a few days; a fire in November destroyed a new school building at Steel as it was nearing completion; Miller will carry out his contract with the insurance payout and with an additional amount from the school district; the new building is to cost about $40,000.

Wilhelmina Klostermann, 76, a native of Cape Girardeau, dies at the home of her sister-in-law, Mrs. L.F. Klostermann, at Rockport Hall on South Spanish Street in the evening; death is caused by leakage of the heart, from which she had been ill for several years; she was the last surviving member of the pioneer Klostermann family.

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.