Out of the past: Feb. 9

1997

An early afternoon fire destroyed one of the Gordonville's old structures yesterday; 20 firemen from Gordonville and Delta battled the blaze which engulfed a two-story, 76-year-old barn alongside Highway 25, on the farm of Mr. and Mrs. Henry J. Wessel, about two miles south of Gordonville, for more than two hours; "But we lost it," said Gordonville Fire Chief Patrick Jett; "We almost had the fire under control when we ran out of water," said Jett.

The future of the Cape Girardeau-Bollinger County lake project could hinge on a bill introduced last week by state Sen. Peter Kinder; the Regional Commerce and Growth Association and other proponents say the bill could help re-float the lake project; the bill would amend a 1990 law that gave the Cape Girardeau and Bollinger county commissions the power to put a 1-cent sales tax issue on the ballot and allowed for creation of a lake authority to oversee the development; it would limit the lake authority's power of eminent domain and prohibit the authority from rezoning the farm land surrounding the lake as long as it stays in the hands of current owners or their heirs.

1972

Secretary of State James C. Kirkpatrick, addressing the Cape Girardeau Lions Club at a noon meeting, declares voter registration should be required in all Missouri counties; it is needed, according to Kirkpatrick, to help curb "voter abuses" and to conduct elections more smoothly.

The previous Cape Girardeau County treasurer, Clinton M. Wunderlich of Cape Girardeau, announces his intentions of again seeking election to that office when he files as a Republican candidate; as of now, he will oppose the incumbent, Ruth Meadows, a Democrat, who was appointed to the office as of Jan. 1, 1971, because of a twist in Missouri law concerning Cape County's change from third- to second-class county.

1947

Chaplain W. E. Sutterfield, former pastor of the Baptist Church at Illmo and a former State College student, is stationed with the 475th Fighter Group, Fifth Air Force, in Korea; Sutterfield was first stationed in Europe during the war and, after returning to this country, was reassigned to the Pacific area.

The towboat Twin Cities, owned by the Lake Tankers Inc. of Chicago, ties up here en route to Wood River, Illinois, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana; the boat transports gasoline; the motor towboat Viking, belonging to the Material Supply Co. of Lockport, Illinois, is also tied up here temporarily due to the heavy ice floes on the river.

1922

Police in Cape Girardeau are notified to watch for yeggs who last night broke into the general store and post office of A.G. Russell at Neelys Landing; they blew the safe and escaped with $35 in cash, two pairs of trousers, a shirt and 20 cartons of cigarettes; Russell says none of the mail was taken.

At a meeting at the Teachers College, President Joseph A. Serena outlines to members of the executive committee of the Southeast Missouri Agricultural Bureau a plan to build a museum on the campus as a memorial to the ex-service men of Southeast Missouri; Serena hopes to convert the money that has been raised for the construction of a veterans' memorial arch at the intersection of Pacific Street and Normal Avenue to be used in construction the museum; nearly $8,000 has been pledged for the arch.

-- Sharon K. Sanders