A LOOK BACK AT JACKSON

25 years ago: 1974

Two-member cast-up committee will be appointed by County Clerk Rusby C. Crites to review tally sheets for official totals in Tuesday's Cape Girardeau County primary election, which saw lowest voter turnout many can remember in off-year primary -- probably lowest in three or four decades; only 13 percent of more than 29,000 registered county voters went to polls Tuesday, and observers are asking themselves why; some are blaming apathy resulting from national Watergate scandal.

Albert Deneke of Gordonville has been appointed to Cape Girardeau-Perry Area Committee of Farmers Home Administration; Deneke operates 500-acre farm, with his major farming enterprises being hogs and beef cows.

County Court Thursday tentatively agreed to allow city of Cape Girardeau to construct two tennis courts at site straddling county's Juvenile Home property and city's Indian Park at William and Lorimier; court also set Aug. 29 as deadline for receiving bids on excavation and grading on site of proposed sheriff's office and jail on County Farm in west Cape Girardeau.

County Surveyor Carl M. Friese believes he should have been given job of surveying proposed site of new county jail and sheriff's office instead of Robert J. Hahn, county's consulting engineer; appearing before County Court Monday, Friese declared court should have given him job since he is elected to do it; court said it gave Hahn job of surveying 23-acre County Farm site because of ignorance on judges' part; all three judges said they weren't aware surveyor could have done the work on site.

David Brown, 13-year-old son of Roy Brown and Marjorie Brown of Jackson, was initiated into Order of the Arrow at Camp Lewallen Sunday.

A $25,000 deficit in Jackson R-2 cafeteria operation and proposed $57,000 deficit at end of upcoming year prompted Board of Education Tuesday to raise price of meal tickets 10 cents for students and 15 cents for adults; board also adopted provision in district's free lunch program that gives reduced lunch price for low-income families that don't qualify for free lunches.

Jackson R-2 School District may lose between $1,500 and $2,000 because of Missouri Supreme Court ruling that reversed policy of public schools loaning textbooks to private schools; school board Tuesday voted to offer $3,140 worth of textbooks to seven private schools for which they were ordered at cost of half price, in hopes of regaining some of loss it expects to take because of high court's ruling.

50 years ago: 1949

One peach grower who resides north of Jackson has refused to take any more orders for peaches, so fast have orders accumulated during past week; picking of crop began Monday, and orders on file will be filled first, after which remaining peaches will be sold to first arrivals; grower is selling peaches at $1.50 per bushel.

Plans are in making for sale on Aug. 22 of registered Hereford cattle herd of W.C. King of Jackson, who lives north of town on Highway 25; advertising has gone to all parts of Midwest; auctioneer will be from Wisconsin; King last year sold several bull calves from herd at $300 per animal.

Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Sebaugh have moved into their new house recently completed in Elmwood Heights; new dwelling has four rooms and bath.

Workers are engaged in renovation of Jackson public schools, inside and out; woodwork on window ledges and door facings are being painted green.

City light and water department workmen began digging holes to erect light poles for Homecomers Wednesday morning; two giant poles will be set in south lawn, in corners near main walk to hold generators.

Franklin A. Shepard, who is now in school at Missionary Baptist Institute at Little Rock, Ark., will be installed Sept. 1 as pastor of Bethel Missionary Baptist Church; he will replace J.W. Gibson.

Because receipts have fallen off so greatly, city swimming pool will be closed Sunday night; weather for most part has been unfavorable, and many parents have kept their children out of pool for preventive measures, against illnesses such as polio.

Faculty of Jackson public schools has been completed; board of education has elected Mrs. Richard Wagner as English teacher in high school to complete teacher list.

All rumors that Homecomers celebration might have to be canceled because of polio in area were settled Wednesday, when Board of Health met and decided that plans could go forward, as no emergency exists; T.K. O'Loughlin will have charge of spraying entire business district, and streets will be cleaned thoroughly each day with water from fire hose.

75 years ago: 1924

Executive committee of Cape County Homecomers Association, stung by apparent apathy and lack of interest of public in annual reunion, had decided to go no further with preparations for 1924 reunion, and so informed public in local newspaper; but committee hadn't reckoned with spirit of Jacksonians; immediately after rumor spread, number of business men got very busy, and soon had entire scheme of things reversed.

Books of registrar of vital statistics show that during month of July eight births and six deaths occurred in city of Jackson and Byrd Township; deaths were Mrs. Josephine C. Moore, Mrs. Elizabeth Summers, Mrs. Caroline Ramsey, Mrs. Elvira Randol, Irl Eugene Wilcox and Helen Lee, infant.

Employees of engineering department of Missouri Pacific headquarters in St. Louis have informed relatives in Jackson that head engineer has often wondered why residents of Jackson don't ask for new station at terminal of Jackson Branch; old, barn-like structure that has served as station for 40 years is not only unsightly, but wholly inadequate in regard to space and accommodation; serving as it does, both as freight depot and as passenger station, it doesn't provide sufficient room for either.

Paul Kinder and his wife went down to Blodgett recently to arrange for boarding places for winter; both Mr. and Mrs. Kinder teach in Blodgett schools.

At meeting of water and light committee of City Council Wednesday night, it was decided that oil engine proposition for municipal power plant should be abandoned, and that steam engine system will be maintained; new machinery will soon be needed, but it was agreed to let earnings of new plant pay for machinery, eliminating necessity of bond issue.