Out of the past 2/1/09

25 years ago: Feb. 1, 1984

A two-alarm fire heavily damages the interior of the historic Free Will Baptist Church at 200 Broadway in Cape Girardeau; it is believed to be the result of arson; the north side of the sanctuary of the church, built in 1893, is heavily damaged.

A $16 million expansion and renovation project at Saint Francis Medical Center will introduce an alcoholism/chemical dependency program that is the first of its kind in this area; approval for the multifaceted project was granted Monday by the Missouri Health Facilities Review Committee.

50 years ago: Feb. 1, 1959

A "Grown-ups Party" for all adult members of the Cathedral parish is held in the evening at St. Mary's Cathedral School; the annual party is held as a pre-Lenten mixer; the dinner and entertainment following is organized by the Mothers Club.

With the biggest cargo ever to move in one unit on the Mississippi River, the towboat United States passed Cape Girardeau Friday night en route to St. Louis; it had 40 barges, with an overall length of 1,650 feet and a width of 200 feet.

75 years ago: Feb. 1, 1934

Off duty this week because of the bitter cold, five Civil Works Administration employees doing pest eradication work are busy at Elladora Orchard on U.S. 61; previously, about 160 damaged trees were grubbed from the Pioneer Orchard of Theodore Ochs & Son.

Complaints have been heard in the last few days about the shantytown rapidly growing on Cape Girardeau's western edge; many object to the construction of a fence around the place.

100 years ago: Feb. 1, 1909

The Cape Girardeau School Board elects Mollie Astholz to fill a teaching vacancy; Annie Walker had been elected to fill the post at the last meeting, but she has since notified the board she was unable to take the job.

Guided by mayor pro tem Herman Rabich, the Cape Girardeau City Council works through numerous issues; the council votes to purchase a steel cage for $90, to be installed in the basement of the city hall building being erected on Independence Street, suitable for holding common drunk cases.

-- Sharon K. Sanders