Out of the past 3/7/03

10 years ago: March 7, 1993

Congregation of St. John's Lutheran Church at Pocahontas is having year-long observance of 125th anniversary of church; opening celebration was held Feb. 14 with emphasis on sacrament of baptism; St. John's, member of Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, was founded in 1868 by group of Austrian Lutherans; records don't give month and day of first service; services were held in homes of founding members, until church building was dedicated in 1870.

The Rev. Kendal Hicks of House Springs has accepted position of pastor of Southside Baptist Church; he received bachelor of science degree at University of Missouri-Columbia, and master of divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

25 years ago: March 7, 1978

Benton -- Inmate in Scott County jail is listed in critical condition at St. Louis hospital, with burns over 60 percent of his body, after his bedding was apparently set afire while he slept; another prisoner has been charged with felonious assault in connection with incident.

Sikeston -- Injunction against picketing of Malone and Hyde food distribution facility is expected to be served against striking farmers before noon by Scott County Sheriff Bill Farrell; picket lines are formed shortly after midnight by farmers to block food deliveries by company.

50 years ago: March 7, 1953

Nine hundred feet of street frontage is being leveled for development in west William Street extension area by Newt Gilliland and Cecil Lear; 300 feet of frontage is on north side of William, west of Sheridan Drive; other two sections of 300 feet each are on either side of extension of Merriwether, west of Sheridan.

Cairo, Ill. -- Another two months may see start of cooperative project that will see 21-block section embracing about 38 acres along Ohio River levee converted from low and little-used area into attractive factory sites; city will acquire sub-standard dwelling property using funds borrowed from local housing project, and U.S. Corps of Engineers will make the fill; much of land, running from 20th Street to 40th along Commercial Avenue, is occupied by New York Central and Illinois Central railroads.

75 years ago: March 7, 1928

New machinery for Cape Silica Co. plant four miles west of Cape Girardeau has been received and is being installed; completion of steel building, which will house machinery, has been delayed few days by failure of small shipment of steel for structure to arrive on time; operation of plant is expected to begin about March 15, according to D.C. Smith, manager.

Construction work on 16 concrete silos at Marquette Cement Manufacturing Co. in south Cape Girardeau is expected to be completed by March 20, says H.O. Cole, plant manager; concrete for 80-foot structures was poured in 10 days, forms being moved up as mixture was poured.

-- Sharon K. Sanders