Out of the past 5/5/12

25 years ago: May 5, 1987

Fire in the morning destroys the Cape Flea Market near the intersection of Highway 74 and South Kingshighway; one of the oldest established flea markets in the city, it was established in 1970 by Tom Howard.

The Jackson Board of Aldermen last night unanimously and resoundingly turned down a proposal submitted to it by the State Highway Department to improve Highway 61 with a three-lane improvement in front of the Wal-Mart plaza.

50 years ago: May 5, 1962

Airplanes and pilots are converging on Cape Girardeau for the annual meeting of the Missouri Pilots Association; featured attraction will be this evening's banquet at the Marquette Hotel, at which Mrs. Tony Page, editor and publisher of Cross Country News, will be the main speaker; the Missouri Pilot of the Year will also be announced at the dinner.

Michael W. Seibel, Cape Girardeau youth, is awarded a congressional appointment to the U.S. Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, Colo.; Seibel, who will graduate in June from Central High School, is the son of Mr. and Mrs. W.O. Seibel.

75 years ago: May 5, 1937

Despite the heavy rains of recent days, more than 20 WPA men are at work clearing the site for the new community park and fairground west of the city, and more men will be put to work soon.

An additional foot is added to the predicted crest stage of the Mississippi River here as the floodwaters from the rain-swollen streams to the north pour into the channel; the predicted crest is 31 feet by late Friday or early Saturday.

100 years ago: May 5, 1912

No church services are held at Centenary Methodist Church, as the pastor, the Rev. Ivan Lee Holt, is in Jackson to preach the annual sermon for the joint meeting of the Woman's Home and Foreign Missionary societies of the St. Louis conference.

F.W. Morrison is offering a $25 reward for information about who broke off the trees in front of his residence on North Main Street last night; Morrison had nursed the specimens for three years.

-- Sharon K. Sanders