A LOOK BACK AT JACKSON

25 years ago, 1972

Tax rate of 50 cents for 1972 was officially established by Cape Girardeau County Court Thursday morning, a formality, and court was told it won't have to borrow money until October; 50 cent tax rate is maximum that can be levied for general revenue; maximum 35 cent road tax rate was also adopted.

Application for two additional cars for Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department has been approved by County Court; application seeks federal funds to assist in purchase; two cars, which would increase fleet from six to eight vehicles, will cost $11,350, of which $2,837.50 would be paid from local funds.

Two special issues were placed on November election ballot Monday by County Court -- county juvenile home issue which Jaycees have been campaigning for and county planning and zoning issue which has been mentioned more and more in past few years; juvenile home issue calls for one-year levy of up to 10 cents per $100 assessed valuation to build new juvenile detention facility with juvenile court and offices.

Neelys Hill project -- one of county highway department's biggest projects of year -- has been completed, according to Otto M. Fluegge, highway engineer; project included cutting down hill and rerouting road leading to Neelys Landing from south; project had been discussed for several years, but had been held up for various reasons.; Fluegge says work wouldn't have been possible without donations of right of way by Massman Construction Co., Ray McNeely and Henry Schenimann, plus over 1,000 tons of surface stone and rip-rap rock by Westlake Quarry Co.

50 years ago, 1947

Mr. and Mrs. Joe Haupt have left for New York City, where they will reside for next six months while he is enrolled in Modern School of Photography; both were students at State College in Cape Girardeau last year; Mrs. Haupt, who has civil service rating as typist, will be employed while they remain in New York.

T.E. Hopkins has purchased Otto Sperling cafe on South High; cafe has been operated by Sperling for 12 years; Hopkins moved to Jackson last June, when he purchased cafe from Bill Rose which he sold in July to Charles East; Mr. and Mrs. Sperling plan to take up new kind of work.

Missouri Pacific diesel engine added another motor car to list of those struck at crossing near intersection of Highways 61 and 25 last week; by a fractional second, driver, who was from cape Girardeau, escaped serious injury, back of his car being badly damaged when diesel engine hit it.

Jackson public and St. Paul Lutheran schools were dismissed Friday in order for boys and girls to attend fair in Cape Girardeau; school buses are used to convey younger pupils to and from exposition free of charge.

75 years ago, 1922

Regular police and extra patrolmen in Jackson are kept busy these days; very little is heard of them, but work performed is nevertheless strenuous; while records of police court aren't overburdened with cases, officers are instrumental in avoiding and checking good many violations of law; merry chase after bootleggers and questionable females takes place every night, and these persons are ordered out of city, but general public hears little about it.

Horse may not be becoming extinct, but that he is being discarded as animal for driving on roads and streets is clearly shown by fact that lone livery stable in Jackson does very little, if any, business during these days, when hundreds of visitors flock here every day; where, in former days, dozen men were kept busy day and night tending horses, one aged man can handle all work easily.

Fire of unknown origin destroyed farm home and contents of Hiram Craft of near Neelys Landing Monday night; house was not new, but large and commodious, and loss is only partially covered by insurance; place was formerly known as Lum Yancey place and was purchased by Craft only few months ago from John M. Cotner.

Alderman c.f. Bartels has sold his home in West end Addition to Judge Charles Sievers of Schoenebeck School House neighborhood; there were several lots additional to ones house stands on, and consideration was $4,500; neither Bartels nor Sievers will move before beginning of next year.