- A third steamer Cape Girardeau was christened 100 years ago (3/26/24)
- Cape Girardeau christens its namesake (3/19/24)
- The humanist philosophy of Lester Mondale (3/12/24)1
- Cape Osteopathic Hospital opens its doors (3/5/24)
- 8 killed and a million dollars damage done in 1924 tornado (2/27/24)1
- Jackson's militant priest, county recorder at odds over marriage licenses (2/20/24)
- Streaking fad comes to Cape (2/13/24)2
Celebrating Jackson's bicentennial
As Jackson residents celebrate their town's bicentennial, I thought it would be interesting to look at some Jackson firsts.
Here are a few, in no particular order and from a variety of sources:
* The first courthouse was built in 1818 on Jackson's public square.
* The first grammar school was started by Henry Sandford in 1816.
* Coincidentally, the town's first jail was also built in 1816
* The first printing press was hauled to Jackson in 1819 by T.E. Strange, who proceeded to publish the Missouri Herald.
* The first bank in town was a branch of the State Bank and was established in Jackson in 1841. It would later be moved to Cape Girardeau, where it became the Sturdivant Bank.
* The first public library was started in 1926, but succeeded a subscription library operated by a literary club.
* The first Protestant meeting house in the Jackson area (and some say west of the Mississippi River) was old Bethel Baptist, which traces its history to 1806.
* The first Jackson Homecomers was held in 1908, coinciding with the dedication of the present county courthouse.
* Electric lights were turned on in Jackson homes for the first time on Feb. 13, 1908. Two days later, street lights in the county seat also went on.
* The first woman to run for mayor of Jackson was Mrs. W.C. LaPierre in 1941.
* In 2007 Barbara Lohr became the first woman to be elected mayor of Jackson.
Here's a few articles that tell about other Jackson firsts.
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