Out of the past 1/25/06

25 years ago: Jan. 25, 1981

Festival services of celebration are held by the congregation of Trinity Lutheran Church at its temporary worship facilities in Trinity Lutheran School, 55 N. Pacific St.; the services mark the release of 52 American hostages in Iran.

Merrick Companies Inc. is now operating out of a building at 238 S. Spanish St., leased from Charles Hutson and which formerly was occupied by Clarklift of Cape Girardeau; Fred Barnard owns the electric company.

50 years ago: Jan. 25, 1956

Voters in Cape Girardeau County yesterday turned out a majority vote for the statewide bond election and named Freeland L. Jackson, attorney at Jackson, as the judge of Common Pleas Court in one of the lightest county elections in many years; statewide, the bond issue passed, and funds generated will be used to modernize and expand prison buildings, mental hospitals and state-supported universities and colleges.

Using a James Wrecker derrick, workers place the vault door for the new First National Bank on skids preparatory to moving it into the building; the massive door weighs nine tons and is 26 inches thick; the door will protect the vault and safe deposit boxes on the first floor of the new building.

75 years ago: Jan. 25, 1931

An ordination service for the Rev. Denzil Osburn was held at the Red Star Baptist Church on Tuesday; he has been given charge of a church at Burfordville, Mo.

The quarterly meeting of the executive board of Southeast Missouri Area Council of Boy Scouts is held in the courthouse in Poplar Bluff, Mo., with 35 members of the board from Cape Girardeau, Charleston Mo., Sikeston, Mo., and Poplar Bluff present; the meeting is followed by a social program at the Ducker Hotel.

100 years ago: Jan. 25, 1906

The first shipment of material for the Harley shoe factory arrives; it is a consignment of lasts, and early next week the first detail of mechanics will arrive to take up their duties in the new factory; the big new building at Henderson and William streets is nearing completion and will be ready for machinery by the latter part of next week.

The Elks fraternity voted to build a splendid new home, which will be combined with an immense theater; it isn't known whether the Elks will build on the property which the fraternity owns on Themis Street or buy other property.

-- Sharon K. Sanders