Out of the past: April 18

1999

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Mount Auburn Christian Church celebrates its 30th anniversary during the morning worship service and a potluck dinner that follows; a pictorial display of the church’s history is in the foyer; the church began as New Testament Christian Church with only five families as members; the first service was held in 1970 with only 34 people attending; today there are more than 200 members.

May Greene Garden Association members and volunteers braved the chilly temperatures to clear winter debris and plant new flowers yesterday as part of Friends of the Parks Day; May Greene Gardens, at Fountain and Themis streets, was adopted by the association to preserve the history surrounding Miss May Greene, a former Cape Girardeau schoolteacher, and the garden she always maintained.

1974

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The grand opening of the K mart discount department store, at Kingshighway and Independence Street, begins in the morning with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Bradshaw Smith, mayor pro tem of Cape Girardeau, and K mart executives from Detroit and Chicago; covering more than 11 acres, the new store boasts 45,000 square feet of retail floor space, which contains hard- and software products of both famous brand names and K mart’s own line; the store was constructed at a cost of $1 1/2 million.

Trustees of Southeast Hospital have authorized the signing of contracts totaling $2,532,662 for the construction of a three-floor addition to the east wing of the hospital; the sum will be increased by $144,074 in architects’ and engineering fees to bring total cost, without furnishings, to $2,676,736; the general contract went to Buckley Construction Co. of Fenton; the addition, which will be built on top of the existing two floors, is the third stage of the hospital’s expansion plan; it should be completed by mid 1976.

1949

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Hundreds of forest fires, which have already caused heavy timber damage and threatened homes, are burning throughout scattered areas of the Clark National Forest near Poplar Bluff, as the fire hazard reaches the highest point in the history of the forest service in Missouri, says Paul Kihlmire, local forest ranger; in several cases rural residents evacuated their homes temporarily, and in one case a blind farmer and his wife were taken to safety as the U.S. Forest Service called out all available firefighters to combat blazes which they say in many cases were of incendiary origin.

E.L. McClintock of Cape Girardeau is reappointed to the Missouri Public Service Commission by Gov. Forrest Smith; new to the board is J.P. Randolph, a St. Joseph attorney; both will serve six-year terms ending April 15, 1955.

1924

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Good Friday. Religious services commemorating the crucifixion are held at various churches; business establishments close from noon to 2 p.m., opening in time only to accommodate customers before the regular 3 p.m. closing time; union services under the direction of the Ministerial Alliance are held at First Presbyterian Church and at Grace Methodist Church.

A 30-year-old Cape Girardeau man was shot and seriously wounded in a gun battle between three federal Prohibition agents and eight supposed “moonshiners” in a swamp six miles southwest of Dutchtown late yesterday; the moonshiners, surprised by the officers while at work at two large stills on “Moonshine Hill”, opened fire on the officers, when the latter were only 50 yards away; the ‘shiners kept up a running battle until they escaped in the woods, leaving their injured comrade behind.

Southeast Missourian librarian Sharon Sanders compiles the information for the daily Out of the Past column. She also writes a blog called “From the Morgue” that showcases interesting historical stories from the newspaper. Check out her blog at www.semissourian.com/history.