Out of the past 2/22/12

25 years ago: Feb. 22, 1987

The youths of St. Andrew Lutheran Church present the musical "It's Cool in the Furnace II" during the regular worship services in the morning; the cast includes children from third grade to high school.

WITTENBERG, Mo. -- A special service is held in the afternoon at St. Paul Lutheran Church at Wittenberg; the service brings to a close the 85 years of existence of St. Paul's as an independent congregation.

50 years ago: Feb. 22, 1962

Forty-six guns, including shotguns, rifles and pistols, estimated in value at $3,500, were stripped by burglars from the shelves of Beard's Sport Shop, 818 Broadway, overnight and carted out the back door; W.R. Beard, operator of the store, says the thieves also took a large quantity of ammunition and some archery equipment.

Police and the Missouri State Highway Patrol searched the gymnasium at Central High School yesterday afternoon after an unidentified caller said a bomb was planted there; classes weren't dismissed, and no evidence of any explosive could be found.

75 years ago: Feb. 22, 1937

Originating from an undetermined source, fire destroys a hickory timber mill owned by J.W. Gerhardt and son, Vincent Gerhardt, shortly after noon, causing a loss estimated at $3,000; the plant in the west end of Cape Girardeau was a block south of Independence Street and 1 1/2 blocks west of Louisiana Avenue, near the Missouri Pacific Railroad switch tracks.

Thirty business and professional men assemble to attend the February meeting of the Jackson Chamber of Commerce; the group unanimously approves a plan to build a civic center.

100 years ago: Feb. 22, 1912

Rudolph Walther, well-known furniture dealer and undertaker of Cape Girardeau, has been appointed a member of the State Board of Embalmers; this is the first member of that board from Southeast Missouri.

A. Pfeiffer, a merchant of Alton, Ill., is in Cape Girardeau and has made arrangements to open a five- and 10-cent store, like those in the big cities; he has rented the Graessle Building and hopes to be ready for business by April.

-- Sharon K. Sanders