History
Once again, the source material for this column arrived in the mail. This time, courtesy of retired Lawrence County Associate Circuit Judge Samuel Jones.
From writing historical research papers in college, I learned the value of primary source documents. Eyewitness accounts and contemporary...
The first settlers and pioneers of Howell County ventured into an unsettled wilderness with little or no government services accessible to them. With sparse communication from the outside world, one might expect the early citizens coming here to ignore the activities of their government or look...
Dear Editor,
I’d like to commend all who helped to make the 4th of July, America’s Birthday, a special occasion! But specifically, I’d like to recognize the efforts of Jane Bailey for making it special for all.
The parade was wonderful, the attendance was robust, the number of floats...
July is the time for tree-ripened peaches, eagerly anticipated in South Central Missouri. Today, we can spread the harvest through the summer into early fall, but grafted or hybrid peach trees were unknown in the era and area we explore now. Peaches are not native to the Ozarks or America but...
The source of articles for this column are sometimes unexpected. Susan Shryock (WSHS, 1961) prompted this one when she asked if I would be interested in seeing a book of poetry written by Lula Rothwell, her husband Joe’s grandmother (and my stepfather’s mother). Of course, I was interested...
The turn of the century 1900 brought a new round of migration to the Ozarks, primarily driven by the railroad's arrival and cheap land. The Kinnaird family was one of the thousands arriving from Kentucky and Tennessee, where available good farmland was becoming scarce, and farming opportunities...
In April, I spoke at the Southeast Missouri Literary Guild meeting in Cape Girardeau, and during the question-and-answer period, an irrepressibly charming woman announced she was 94-years-old. Afterwards, she came to my table and informed me she wanted to buy copies of all my books—six in total....
This past week, I noticed the neat sidewalk work on the bridge over the railroad tracks leading into downtown Willow Springs. It brought to mind the importance of this entryway into town. Over the decades, it has been known by several names, like overhead, overpass, railroad underpass, viaduct,...
Alums may be getting older, but Alumni Weekend never gets old. It seems to get better thanks to the hard work of Tom and Phyllis White and the numerous volunteers.
Appreciation is also due hosts John and Valerie Kissee Bailey, along with Wendell and Jane Bailey, for the Bailey Chevrolet...
Attending the annual Willow Springs Alumni picnic this past weekend, I spoke with several old friends about Radio Station KUKU and growing up in the days of live radio. Today, most local radio stations are automated or playing network programming exclusively without the spontaneity of live on-air...