LOOKING BACK AT JACKSON

25 years ago: 1974Jackson Jaycees will operate haunted house Oct. 29-31; haunted abode is owned by First Presbyterian Church and is adjacent to church parking lot on North Hope Street; funds raised from Halloween attraction will go toward youth and civic improvements; this is first year local Jaycees will sponsor holiday fun.

County Court Thursday authorized expenditure of County Park Board funds up to $7,047 for improvements to County Farm property, between Cape Girardeau and Jackson, which is being developed for recreational use; money is amount park board has in a time-deposit savings account; previously, court has been appropriating general revenue funds for several recent improvements to property; board wants to run water from new well to new maintenance shed and to two lakes, one of which is in need of rip-rapping.

Construction of water distribution system to serve Gordonville, Dutchtown and surrounding area is expected to be completed in spring; Wesley A. Deneke of Gordonville, chairman of Board of Public Water Supply District No. 4 of Cape Girardeau County, said Friday all distribution lines have been installed and nearly all water meters are hooked up to serve initial 113 customers; all that remains is completing well and construction of standpipe.

Cape Girardeau County Board of Realtors believes county zoning should be implemented before "excessive restrictions" are imposed upon residential developers through adoption of Planning and Zoning Commission's proposed land subdivision and mobile home park regulations; realtors -- appearing Monday before County Court and that evening before zoning commission -- listed several items they consider fallacies in 77-page land plan proposal, many of which, they contend, would impose financial burdens on residential developers.

By six-to-one vote, City Council Monday decided to grant cable television franchise to Jackson Cable Television Inc., affiliate of Iola, Kan., firm; vote followed Sept. 16 defeat of motion to grant franchise to See-More-Cable Television Inc., of Hutchinson, Kan.

Jackson R-2 Board of Education was presented Tuesday with list of advantages and disadvantages to building new high school and remodeling old, but board members postponed decision on direction they will take in improving building.

50 years ago: 1949The Rev. Morris O. Paul, new pastor of McKendree Methodist Church, and his family will arrive in Jackson Thursday or Friday; Paul was named to succeed the Rev. S.E. Stringham at St. Louis Conference, Stringham being transferred to St. Louis.

Crowd estimated at 3,500 persons lined route of march Tuesday morning for parade of 17 bands participating in Fifth Annual Southeast Missouri Marching Band Festival; business suspended during 55 minutes it took parade line to move through business area.

City Council Tuesday accepted recommendations of light and water department and voted to install some large water mains; Walter A. Kasten recommended that 7-inch water mains be installed to offer better facilities to property in vicinity of Jackson public schools and to extend 6-inch mains in such vicinities as finance and time permits.

Two offices of courthouse -- County Court and county clerk's office and sheriff's office -- are completely upset, as painters are applying first coat of color; corridor downstairs, in pecan gray walls with white ceilings, has been given first application; offices, including County Court room, will have light green walls with white ceilings.

It was announced Thursday that receipts of high school band festival, held Tuesday night, were $579.52, and mention was made that receipts should have been much higher, as crowd was estimated to have exceeded 5,000; amount is $175 more than was received last year; funds will be prorated to all bands attending, on basis of mileage.

Huge stack of pasteboard cartons and paper was fuel for large bonfire at Thursday night's pep rally on school grounds; large crowd attended, including Bench Warmers Club; parade was held after rally; whole thing is in preparation for Friday's football game at Cape Girardeau against Central High.

Mr. and Mrs. Bob Wright have moved to their new home in Daley Heights; they had been living with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Guy Wright.

City Council has called meeting of Jackson residents for Monday night to discuss proposed telephone rate increase; Southeast Missouri Telephone Co. has proposed boost in telephone cost from $2.50 for business phones to $5.50, for resident private lines from $1.50 to $2.75, and for party lines from $1.25 to $2.25.

Capitalizing on two recovered fumbles to score touchdowns, Cape Girardeau Central High Tigers defeated Jackson High Indians 12-0 at Houck Field Stadium; it marked third successive year in which Tigers have held Braves scoreless.

Charles Seabaugh has purchased interest of Leo W. Bingheimer in Bingheimer Phillips 66 service station on West Main Street; Seabaugh has been employed at station three years.

75 years ago: 1924Members of Corinthian Baptist Church in Jackson will hold their annual rally Sunday; all-day services will be held, and basket dinner will be served on grounds; the Rev. Lizzie Davis, only Negro woman preacher in this section of state, will be among speakers; she is 76 years old; the Rev. J.W. Wilcox of Cape Girardeau has charge of Corinthian congregation.

Charles Penny is back from Lynn, where he was called as witness against state senator, who is charged with having wrongfully obtained certain property out of State Capitol that belonged to State; Penny was with officers when senator was arrested.

Slowly, harvesting of cotton is getting under way in this section; T.J. Browning is about first to deliver cotton on market, but it was raised in Bollinger County; N.D. Browning delivered his first load Tuesday, and it was first-to-market cotton grown in vicinity of Jackson this year; good rain would help opening of cotton bolls, in opinion of local growers.

Cashiers W.O. Stacy, C.L. Grant, E.G. Schoen and other bankers of Jackson and surrounding towns left Tuesday to attend bankers meeting at Dexter.

Edmund P. Kiesler, Perryville banker, has been named special deputy commissioner to liquidate closed Farmers' Bank of Daisy; he went to Jefferson City Thursday to consult with state banking commissioner on clearing up tangled affairs of institution, which closed Sept. 22; it is probable that Kiesler will call in all pass books of depositors and ask for immediate filing of all claims against bank.