Out of the Past: July 15

1999

A new kind of student housing likely will be coming to Cape Girardeau; without fanfare or controversy, the Cape Girardeau Planning and Zoning Commission last night gave its consent for the rezoning of an 11-acre tract at the northeast corner of Bertling and North Sprigg streets; Place Collegiate Property is buying the land from the Cape Girardeau School District and will construct eight apartment buildings for student housing.

Local school administrators laugh as they talk about stealing teachers from other school districts, but they aren’t joking; there is a growing shortage in available teachers in Missouri and across the nation; the Cape Girardeau district needs to hire about nine employees, including one counselor, one junior high school science teacher and seven special services staff members before school starts next month.

1974

More than 160 homes and buildings in Cape Girardeau have been condemned and demolished in the past three years, but a random survey by The Missourian shows many other structures could be condemned under the city’s dangerous buildings ordinance; the measure was enacted Nov. 5, 1969, with little or nothing done about dilapidated and dangerous buildings for many years prior; the ordinance gives the city power to condemn a structure and order it repaired, vacated or demolished; the city has actively used the law to clean up areas such as Smelterville.

With temperatures expected in the 90s through Friday and little or no precipitation likely, Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois will continue to suffer the same hot, dry weather that has hung over the area for the last two weeks; meanwhile, farmers continue to look for the one, good rain their crops have been needing for the last two weeks.

1949

Forty-two suits of clothing and $40 in cash were stolen from Irvin’s men’s store, 39 N. Main St., overnight by three burglars who broke into the establishment; the loot likely would had been greater had the thieves not been frightened away by persons who saw them drop some articles of clothing near their getaway car parked on Spanish Street, at the rear of the store; officers say about 100 more suits were piled up in the store ready to be carried out.

Cape Girardeau County, and particularly Cape Girardeau’s immediate vicinity, is beginning the harvest of one of the best orchard crops in years; early apples and peaches are on the market in hundreds of bushels; had it not been for early season storms, including hail, and a few other factors, the peach crop in this area would have been a record breaker; as it stands, orchardists say the average yield will be about 10,000 bushels.

1924

West End Boulevard, from Normal Avenue to Bloomfield Road, a distance of about 10 blocks, or more than one-half mile, is to be paved this summer; a petition asking for the improvement and bearing the signatures of a large number of property owners on the street was presented to the Cape Girardeau City Council on Monday and was approved; the estimated cost of the work is more than $50,000.

Every definite clue that might lead to the whereabouts of Mrs. A.S. Boucher, wife of the head of the Teachers College Training School, who disappeared from her home on Bessie Street early Monday, has been been run to earth; authorities and relatives of the invalid woman are almost ready to admit they are baffled.

Southeast Missourian librarian Sharon Sanders compiles the information for the daily Out of the Past column. She also writes a blog called “From the Morgue” that showcases interesting historical stories from the newspaper. Check out her blog at www.semissourian.com/history.