Out of the past 4/9/10

25 years ago: April 9, 1985

With funding arranged for construction of a Mississippi River port, the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Commission will urge the Missouri Highway and Transportation Department to consider extension of Nash Road eastward to the proposed port site.

Cape Girardeau firefighters burn down the old dairy farm at Southeast Missouri State University in the morning; the fire, which takes less than five minutes to devour the structure, is so hot it reduces galvanized metal to charred, twisted scrap.

50 years ago: April 9, 1960

Frisco rail service through Cape Girardeau is suspended in the afternoon to allow crews to close the last gap in the emergency flood dike that seals off a section of the North Main Street area, including the International Shoe Co. and Missouri Utilities Co. plants.

Houck Field House was packed last night with participants and audience for the performance of four choral groups at the annual Southeast Missouri Choral Festival; 2,835 boys and girls from 50 schools participated.

75 years ago: April 9, 1935

The final payment on the indebtedness on the new Nazarene Church at South Park Avenue and Merriwether Street is made; the payment, amounting to $115, wipes out a $1,000 debt incurred a year ago when the church was built; thus far, only the basement of the building has been completed, and this is being used as church quarters.

The Cape Girardeau Tigers baseball club of South Cape has been organized and is looking for games; players are Marcus Seyer, manager; William Cook, Noah Kitchen, Roy Cunningham, Oscar Seyer, Carrol Robert, Otho McDaniel, Ed Howenstein, Lawrence Seyer and Elbert Schabbing.

100 years ago: April 9, 1910

Several Broadway property owners who want to see the street redeemed from the mud and made so that people can travel it safely are out with petitions asking the city council to order it paved from Middle Street to Pacific Street with vitrified brick.

It will require about another day to finish the concrete work for the Spanish Street paving.

-- Sharon K. Sanders