Out of the past: June 7

1997

Making way for a bank, Eagle Excavation this week demolished the former Airline building, most recently housing the Golden Dragon Restaurant, at 217 N. Kingshighway; the lighted, revolving, 4-foot world globe that stood high atop the structure and the Golden Dragon sign are all that remain, purchased by Les Lindy Jr., owner of Lucky Find Antiques at Gordonville.

Willard H. "Dutch" Estes presented his annual Cobblestone Award to J. Charles Stotz, executive director of the Southeast Hospital Foundation; the presentation was made yesterday at the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce's First Friday Coffee at the Show Me Center; Chamber officials, in turn, presented a Cobblestone Award to Estes, who has been honoring civic leaders for 13 years.

1972

The final link of Interstate 55 between Cape Girardeau and St. Louis -- a 30-mile stretch that has been long under construction -- will be open to traffic about Sept. 1; Floyd Kelley, project manager on Bernard McMenamy Construction Co.'s 7.5-mile stretch in north Cape Girardeau County, also confirms the company's stretch at the extreme south end of the construction should be complete by Labor Day and ready for traffic.

Cape Girardeau Community Sheltered Workshop, 603 Good Hope St., is $3,000 richer today, thanks to a retired St. Louis industrialist who is sending money to workshops throughout Missouri; the surprise gift from Frank Ackerman is part of a total of $100,000 he is donating to 36 sheltered workshops employing mentally handicapped persons.

1947

The construction stalemate, which has held building in Cape Girardeau in check since early last fall, was finally broken in May, at least from a cost standpoint, with the total for the month jumping to $97,915; that's the highest figure recorded since March 1946 and is far above any in the preceding months this year.

Homer and Madge Boswell stand in front of their Shell Service Station, 102 Mason, in 1940. Jeffry Hawk photo ~ Southeast Missourian archive

Homer and Madge Boswell, shown at far right, operated the Dew Drop In on North Main Street. At left are Sue Friese and Cherry Hopkins. Jeffry Hawk photo ~ Southeast Missourian archive

Mr. and Mrs. Homer Boswell have sold the Dew Drop confectionery, 111 N. Main St., to Cyril Gregory, who is moving here from Fredericktown, Missouri; Mr. and Mrs. Boswell will take a lengthy vacation before resuming work.

1922

Hundreds of people from Scott, Cape Girardeau and adjoining counties are in Illmo to see the "Prosperity Special," which rumbles into town around 6:30 p.m., considerably ahead of schedule; the train, at nearly a half a mile in length one the largest kind the ever went across the county is composed of 20 locomotives built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia for the Southern Pacific Lines; they will be used in heavy freight service on different grades in the West.

Work is set to begin Monday on M. Samuels' store at 46 N. Main St., to make it one of the city's modern establishments; the building in the rear of the store will be torn down, and a new addition built; this will make the Samuels store one block long; a modern front will be put in containing large display windows with the latest features.

-- Sharon K. Sanders