Out of the past 8/7/08

25 years ago: Aug. 7, 1983

Hutson Enterprises Inc. has announced expansion plans for its Furniture Fair store at the northeast corner of Main and Independence streets; the new area, adjacent to the current store space, will occupy about 12,000 square feet on the ground floor of the old J.C. Penney Co. building.

Dr. V.K. Mangunta, who has offices in Cape Girardeau's Doctors Park, will be moving his practice to Jackson, effective Sept. 1; he will be opening the Jackson Medical and Cape County Vascular Diagnostic Center at 215 W. Main St.

50 years ago: Aug. 7, 1958

Mrs. Ivan Lee Holt, wife of the retired Methodist bishop of Missouri, died in Brussels, Belgium, yesterday; with Bishop Holt, she was in Cape Girardeau frequently following their marriage in 1950; he was formerly pastor of Centenary Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau.

The State Highway Commission has formally awarded a contract to Granite Bituminous Paving Co. of St. Louis for the widening and surfacing of U.S. 61 between Cape Girardeau and Jackson; the bid was $351,257.

75 years ago: Aug. 7, 1933

Cape Girardeau city engineer E.L. Sailer issues a permit to H.O. Proctor to build an annex to his store building at 1002 N. Main St.; the annex will be of frame construction and one story high.

Construction begins on a new sand pit and auxiliary equipment, built entirely of reinforced concrete and steel, for the Cape Girardeau Sand Co., 400 N. Main St.; about 10 men are being employed, and it is expected the plant will be ready for operation about Sept. 1, says Peter H. Deimund, owner.

100 years ago: Aug. 7, 1908

Cape Girardeau makes great strides in guarding the safety of residents; at a meeting last night, the city council decided to build a new city hall at the corner of Frederick and Independence streets, which will house the town's jail; the councilmen also agreed to purchase the Gamewell system of fire signals, with six alarm boxes to be placed around town and wired to the fire wagon house.

The Hagenbrusch brothers of Quincy, Ill., have acquired the Custom Laundry operated by the Mastersons; the business has been renamed the Eclipse Laundry.

-- Sharon K. Sanders