Bit of History - May 29, 2024

On Tuesday, May 30, 1905, the city of Ridgeway held a service commemorating “Decoration Day”, a day set aside to decorate the graves of fallen soldiers.  Rev. W. F. Kenny of Gilman delivered the address and Elzumer Scott was in charge of the song service.  C.F. Hey and A. R. Dunagan made up the committee in charge of decorating the soldiers gates.  The program was expected to be held at the Methodist Church in the afternoon and those “who can will go to the cemetery to decorate the graves of departed soldiers”.  Rev Powell, pastor of the Methodist Church, preached the Memorial Sermon the following Sunday.

According to an article on the Veterans’ Administration website titled “The Origins of Memorial Day”, Major General John A. Logan, head of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR),  an organization of former Union soldiers, declared May 30 as “Decoration Day” was a tradition started soon after the Civil War as a way to honor the fallen of both the Union and Confederate armies. The date was believed to be have been chosen so that “choicest flowers of springtime” throughout the nation to decorate the graves and General Logan urged  “We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance”. After World War I, the tradition was expanded to include all soldieries who had died in American Wars and in 1971, an act of Congress declared that the last Monday in May would be a national holiday known as Memorial Day.

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Bit of History - May 22, 2024

On Saturday, June 30, 1956, nine year old Terry Tripp and his mother, Mrs Gene (Clarice) Tripp were visiting the home of his grandmother, Mrs. R. E. Tripp.  While his mother sat on the front porch, Terry decided to practice his tree climbing skills.

About 8:15, “‘I heard a crack and saw a flash’, said Mrs. Tripp.  ‘I knew at once what had happened.’”  Terry, up in an old cedar tree, had come in contact with a power line.  His mother found him hanging over a limb, bleeding from his nose.  She thought he was dead until he moaned.  Then, despite her fear of heights and the lowest tree branches were higher than her head, she said “I never climbed a tree in my life, but I did then….When I heard him moan, that sent me up the tree”. She grabbed him by his belt and dropped him into the arms of his aunt Lois Tripp.  They flagged down a neighbor, A. B. Whitely, who drove the family to Ridgeway to see Dr. Lake Brewer.  Terry regained consciousness on the trip.  Dr. Brewer sent him to Noll Memorial Hospital for treatment of several burns on his body, but he did recover. (Bethany Republican-Clipper, July 4, 1956). 

Bit of History - May 15, 2024

In 1933, newly inaugurated President Franklin Delano Roosevelt issued an executive order that all the nation’s banks would close until further notice.  The national bank holiday was necessary so that people would not run to the banks to withdraw all their money and cause financially sound banks to collapse, similar to what happened to the First National Bank of Ridgeway in 1930.  

According to an article in the Ridgeway Journal on March 9, 1933 titled “Business Almost as Usual in Ridgeway”, the national closing of the banks barely caused a ripple in Ridgeway.  The Farmers National Bank remained open on the Saturday that people first started the run on the banks in larger cities and only closed on the Monday due to the executive order.  The bank was in “sound financial condition”.  Some merchants were prepared, but “not all Ridgeway merchants or others had laid in a supply of money of various denominations” and had to resort to “scurrying around to get the necessary small change to handle their daily business.”

Other businesses had to change their practices due to the bank’s closing.  Armour and Swift immediately announced they would no longer buy eggs, not having storage space for them and unable to sell them to their customers in the cities.  Egg prices dropped to 5 cents per dozen.

The bank holiday began on March 6 and ended on March 13 for the federal reserve banks and on March 15 for all other banks which then had to apply for a license, per an article in Wikipedia.  Two thousand banks didn’t reopen, but thankfully for Ridgeway customers, the Farmer’s National Bank announced that they were “open for the usual transaction of business” in an ad in the Journal on March 16, 1933

Bit of History - May 8, 2024

 In 1930, five Women’s Club  joined together to open a public library in Ridgeway.  Located at first in a corner of Stoner’s Drug Store, the library charged five cents to read a book “which should enable most anyone to read all the good books they desire.”  The clubs who sponsored the library were the Entre Nous, Delphian, Worth While, P. E. O. And O. E. S. Chapters.  As a non-profit,  they asked for donations of “any books you care to give them.”

While not frequently mentioned, the library did remain in operation until at least 1932.  In January 1931, they received a large donation of books from the pastor of the Methodist Church, Rev. C. E. Reed.  “By this gift, Rev. Reed most certainly displays the greatest interest in the educational development of our community”. The library was growing and there was a mention that the library would move from the drug store to a larger, unspecified space, but in 1932, they were still located in Stoners’.   In addition to donations from individuals and the Bethany Library, the Ridgeway library also received 50 new books from the “traveling library” (which I think was a program from the Missouri State Library system.). (Ridgeway Journal articles from May 15, 1930, Jan 19, 1931, Oct 22, 1931 and Feb 4, 1932.).  There was no additional mention of the library after 1932.

Bit of History - May 1, 2024

From the Ridgeway Journal dated May 2, 1907:  The Ridgeway Christian Church announce they would be holding Special Consecration Meetings on May 5.  The members had made a number of improvements at the church including new paint and paper and new concrete walks around the building.  They earnestly asked members to attend that Sunday and bring a dollar to help defray the cost of the improvements.

The editors of the Journal felt that more of an effort should be made for “Decoration Day” which was coming up soon and that a “speaker of prominence to make the address of the day and a month’s time in which to make arrangements for an excellent musical program is none too much.”  

Ridgeway citizens were “kindly asked on May 1, 1907, within fifteen days from the date of this notice to clean up your premises” including barns and back alleys of “all old rubbish and manure” and to move it all out of town to “insure the health of its occupants”. Failure to comply could mean that one would be “looked after by the marshal” and fined the amount it would cost the city to do the work.

Amongst the ads were one from A. L. Hughes that he had money to loan as a representative of “one of the largest and oldest loan companies in Harrison County”.  Neff & Co had just gotten their spring line of men’s and boys clothing.  I. M. Reeves had “Moon Buggies” for sale and Miner & Co was selling paint for spring spruce-ups.  Maple & Ellis sold the complete line of Edison phonographs for and Irene Michaelis had all the newest hat styles in her millinery shop and would take produce as well as cash.   

Bit of History - April 24, 2024

In the April 12, 1900 edition of the Ridgeway Journal, the editors lamented that “Ridgeway had not celebrated the Fourth of July for a number of years.”  Many people had been disappointed the year before and the editor wanted to know “now what is to be done this year?” The editors went on to suggest that if a celebration was to be had, “start the committees to work; if not let the people know it and other towns will, undoubtedly, make arrangements for celebrations of their own.”

Whether it was because of the editorial or just in-personal prodding, Ridgeway did have a grand 4th of July celebration that year.  The June 28, 1900 issue of the paper detailed as many of the plans as they could considering that they couldn’t obtain a copy of the program.  Twenty-five businesses had agreed to take part in the grand parade “and it is likely the parade will be the finest ever seen in this section of the country.  After the parade, the festivities continued in the park with an oration by the Honorable E. B. Lytle, music, literary exercises, and reading of the Declaration of Independence.  The Silver Toned Jubilee “singer and cakewalkers” of St. Joseph were expected to be there to give a grand open air concert and cake walk.  There was also to be “unlimited sports of various kinds” in the afternoon.  Readers were told to watch for “bills for particulars” as the editors were sorry that they couldn’t give a complete program.

Bit of History - April 17, 2024

Ridgeway was a busy place in 1908.  Here is a sample of what you could read in the 10 pages of the Ridgeway Journal issue published on April 16 of that year:

The editors reminded people that now that spring had arrived, it was time to clean up the “accumulated waste of the winter months” where it had been “consigned to the back alley and far corner of the yard”.  The situation seemed to be concerning enough that the town had created a new board of health to help combat the problem.  The editors felt that the new board needed to do a “tour of inspection” which would “reveal much that could be done in the way of cleaning up.”   

The Methodist church reported 176 attended Sunday School the previous Sunday and the collection was 3.76.  The Christian Church reported 119 in attendance and a collection of $2.73.  All the local churches were preparing for Easter services to be held the next week. The WTCU (Women’s Christian Temperance Union) were planning a public meeting to promote their cause:  “No saloons, happy homes, pure government and the peace and prosperity of the whole people.”

The home of Mr. & Mrs W. A. Stoner of close to Mt. Moriah burned and was a total loss. One ad announced that Dr. J. C. Boyd, a newly graduated veterinarian, had moved to Ridgeway to set up a practice.  He was located in Lundy’s livery and was alr
eady quite busy.  Wm. A. Miner was selling lots in the new Fairview Addition located on the northwest side of Ridgeway which included most of the property north of Elm and west of Main.  The Ridgeway Journal had so much going on that week they had to expand their paper by an extra 4 pages.

Bit of History - April 10, 2024

By request, I have done some digging into the “orphan trains” that came to Harrison County to bring children from New York to be placed with families in rural America.  While these trains didn’t actually stop in Ridgeway, there were several children placed with families in the Ridgeway area.

At least two groups of children were brought to Harrison County from New York City by the Children’s Aid Society of New York.  The first group of nine older boys ages 10 to 16 and one little girl were presented on March 20, 1891, per an article in the Bethany Democrat. The Children’s Aid Society expected to place the boys mostly with farmers.  The families taking the children were expected to treat them as their own “in the matter of schooling and training” and where they would be “at least under strictly moral influence.”  There were no contracts or papers signed and either parents or the Aid Society could end the placement at any time.  Lawrence Mooney, who wanted to be a farmer,  was placed with Harvey Myers, “of near Ridgeway”.  Brothers George and Eddie Lake “wept over the prospect of being separated” when one was taken  by L. J. Kemp of Jefferson township and the other by A. P. Hayes of Grant township.  

In 1918, another group of children was brought to Bethany by the same organization.  There were fourteen in this group, both boys and girls from infant to teens.  Sadly at least one group of 4 brothers were split up among four families in this group and one brother and sister also split up.  None of these children ended up in Ridgeway, however.

Bit of History - April 3, 2024

On Feb 27, 1908, the Ridgeway Journal published an article titled “501 Car Loads of Stock and Grain Shipped from Ridgeway in 1907”. The article claimed that 1907 “was a prosperous one for the farmers of this vicinity and that Harrison County farmers produce far more than was consumed”.  The report was made by the Burlington agent for Ridgeway and represented everything that was shipped from Ridgeway that year.

Ridgeway farmers shipped 214 car loads of livestock including 139 cars of hogs, 70 carload of cattle and 5 of horses and mules.  They also shipped out 287 carloads of surplus grain after feeding all the livestock of which there were 60 cars of wheat, 150 cars of corn, 75 cars of oats and 2 cars of hay.

Twenty carloads of eggs were shipped from Ridgeway along with 2000 pounds of butter and 18,000 gallons of milk and cream.  “The gardens, truck patches and orchards also provided far more than the demand of home consumption” and growers of Ridgeway gardens and orchards shipped 50,000 bushels of potatoes, 500 bushels of tomatoes and 15,000 pounds of apples, peaches, pears, and honey.  In addition to all this, Ridgeway growers shipped out hides and pelts, chickens, dressed meats and poultry, tallow, furs and game.  All this “proves that Ridgeway is one of the best shipping points in Northern Missouri.”  “It must be remembered that this represents the shipments of ‘surplus’, as the government designate it, from only one of the seven railroad shipping points of Harrison County and therefore, of course, does not represent a third of the total shipments of the county.

Bit of History - March 28, 2024

Sometimes, I find a mystery in the old newspapers and this is one.  In March and April, 1934, the Ridgeway Journal printed a series of ads. “Seth Parker is coming to the Methodist Church.”  Later the ads read “Seth Parker & Ma Parker coming to Methodist Church” and to watch for further announcements.  But, no further announcements were ever made and no description of any event involving “Seth Parker” was mentioned in the Ridgeway Journal, especially in connection with the Methodist Church.  

One clue was an ad in the Cainsville paper that they were offering the movie “Way Back Home”, starring Seth Parker for a reduced price. An internet search turned up more information about clergyman Seth Parker who was actually a character on a radio show created by Phillips Lord.  Lord, himself the son of a Protestant minister, based the character of Parker on his own grandfather, Hosea Phillips.  The half-hour radio show featured the Rev. Seth Parker with other fictional characters and always included old-time songs.  Lord sold scripts to radio stations originally titled “Seth Parkers Singing School”. NBC Radio then contracted to buy the scripts to run 6 days a week, calling it “Sunday Evening at Seth Parkers”.  “Seth Parker” became very popular and Lord sold two books in the 1930s: “ Seth Parker’s Album” and “Seth Parker’s Hymnal”.  In 1933, Phillips Lord took the show “on the road”, broadcasting on short wave radio from a ship at sea from various exotic ports.  The traveling show continued until the ship was damaged on a storm in February 1935.  When Phillips Lord returned from the trip, he switched genres, abandoning the Rev. Seth Parker for a series of true crime tales called “Gang Busters”.  He died in 1975 in Maine.

We may never know if he was actually expected at the Ridgeway Methodist Church or if a special program was planned around one of his broadcasts or if a play was being produced by local talent from one of his scripts.  You can still watch his film, “Way Back Home” starring himself, Frank Albertson, Bette Davis and Lord’s wife Sophia on DVD and VHS.  

Bit of History - March 20, 2024

On July 16, 1914, the City of Ridgeway published the city’s financial statements for the first six months of the year.  The city received a total of $1,361.26 from taxes, fines and licenses.  Among the expenses was $23.29 for being overdrawn on January 1, $43.67 for the clerk’s salary.  The marshal was the highest paid city worker at $75; the aldermen were pai $56.25 and the mayor received $18 for the six-month period.  They paid $41.30 for the election.  The road fund received 289.56 from taxes and paid out $243.56 for materials, labor, “road drags” and street commissioner salary and fees.  There were two special funds for the new City Hall and jail ($3000) and Electric Light Fund ($10,014.10).  E. S. Miner Jr., City Treasurer, certified that “all the above is a correct accounting of all money received and paid by me.”

Bit of History - March 13, 2024

On January 1, 1914, I. W. Maple put a small ad in the Ridgeway Journal that his new theater was nearly finished and would be opening on January 20 with a production by the Leonard Players.  The theater was a brick building on the west side of Main Street between Pine and Cedar just north of the building where R & T’s thrift shop was formerly located. The building took up the entire lot with the stage at the west end and the box office on the east as you came in from Main Street.

The theater quickly became a hub for community activity.  People came there to watch plays, slide shows and the new moving pictures, but it also hosted community events such as the school plays, commencement ceremonies, church events and meetings.  The theater got a new Minus Gold screen in 1917 which was “!0 x 13, entirely seamless and woven into one piece” which was a great improvement over the old one.

Maple ran the theater himself until 1923 when he leased it to E. W. Johnson in 1923 and John McCrary in 1924.  He had opened a new theater in Albany and moved there to manage it.  The theater operated as the Rex until 1929 when it was purchased by Bill Leonard of the Leonard Players.  He installed a new projector and renamed the theater to Ridgeway Community Theater.  But in 1932, the building was acquired by the Ridgeway Building & Loan. Under the management of Dean Leazenby, mayor of Ridgeway, the theater was completely renovated with all new sound equipment and reopened as the Palace Theatre.

The Palace offered all the newest “talkies” for Ridgeway’s entertainment and continued to provide space for community events as well.  They hosted Missouri Public Service’s “Electric Cookery School” for families who had purchased the new-fangled electric ranges and wanted to learn to use them and “Instruction by Moving Pictures” courses for agriculture.  The theater remained open until at least the 1950s when it stopped being mentioned in any of the Harrison County papers. 

The building was torn down decades ago and I have no pictures of it to share, but if you have some or know of someone who does and is willing to share, please let me know. 

Bit of History - March 6, 2024

The “New Ridgeway Hotel” has been featured before in this column, but I found a fascinating article in the May 24, 1917 issue of the Ridgeway Journal that I wanted to share.  This article detailed the construction costs, materials and rooms of the hotel.  The cost of the construction and furnishings was $20,000 ($418,000 in today’s money.).  The hotel measures 34 x 100 ft and was built of “pressed brick with Batesville marble trimmings”.  

The entire basement was built of “extra-heavy” concrete and included a 20 x 32 foot barber shop with connected baths.  There were two well-lighted sample rooms for traveling salesmen to display their wares as well as the vegetable cellar, furnace room and coal room.

The main floor included the lobby with an open fireplace, a 23 x 32 ft dining room able to seat 125, parlor and parlor bed room, kitchen “equipped with labor saving devices” and sleeping areas for the help.  The upstairs featured 15 sleeping rooms which averaged about 10 x 12 ft and had lavatories in each room with hot and cold water.  The two “leading’ rooms had a bath and toilet.  

The building was heated with “vacuum steam” and lighted with electricity.  All the rooms had first class beds and furniture and no expense was spared.  A large porch, 10’ by 34’, “extends across the front of the building, furnished with hickory rockers, for the convenience of guests.”  

The building was owned by the “New Ridgeway Hotel Company” and was under the management of C. G. Brayton.  It was designed by Ridgeway residents W. Leroy Perkins and built by Lincoln Bent of Maryville. 

Bit of History - February 28, 2024

In the past, it was considered unacceptable for the woman to propose marriage to the man except during leap year.  The origin of this tradition goes back centuries to Ireland, when Saint Brigid of Kildare made a deal with Saint Patrick to allow women to propose to men.  At first, he wanted to allow it one day every seven years, but she convinced him to make it every four years.  The concept spread to Scotland where, if the man declined, he had to pay a fine which might be a silk dress, gloves or other gift.

By the time the tradition came to Ridgeway, it had been lengthened out to a leap year.  Ridgeway youth celebrated with leap year parties where the girls would invite the boys. In 1920, the girls of the Ridgeway dancing club hosted a year year party and dance at the Ridgeway hotel.  The girls met at the hotel before the party and drew for their partners, then they went out to find their partner and bring him back to the hotel for the dance.  They hired an orchestra from Albany and provided refreshments of “pressed chicken sandwiches, sweet pickles, coffee and mints were served and all present voted the evening one of real pleasure.”

In 1928, the Epworth League held a social at the home of Mr. And Mrs. J.A. Linthacum where the girls of the league wrote out proposals and the boys answered them.  The one with the best proposal and one with the best answer were then married in a mock wedding officiated by “Preacher” Carl Rinehart and the groom wore the veil instead of the bride.  “From all reports, a very hilarious time was experienced and enjoyed.”

Bit of History - February 21, 2024

In the early years of Ridgeway, Valentine’s Day was not a very big deal.  Few merchants offered Valentine’s cards or gifts and parties were generally for the school children.  But in 1900, the women of the Christian church sponsored a Valentines’ Day mask social at the Kern Opera House (located about where the Ridgeway hotel now stands).  The evening’s entertainment included a special feature by “eight ‘maids’ and eight ‘bachelors’, each telling in the language of the poet ‘why we are not married.”  Valentines masks were provided for those who wanted one and refreshments were served.  I could not find a follow-up article to find out how the entertainment went, but I can imagine there was lots of laughter.

Bit of History - Feb 14, 2024

In October 1953, the first patients moved into the new Ridgeway Nursing Home.  The home was owned by Mr and Mrs Jim Lacy, who also owned a convalescent  home in Bethany.  The home was originally supposed to be managed by Maxine Kirk, but she fell and injured her kneecap just before the home opened, so the home hired Mr and Mrs Clarence Hahn of Blythedale to run the home. 

The home soon filled with patients and there was enough activity to warrant a Ridgeway Nursing Home section in the Ridgeway News column printed in the Harrison County Times paper.  In December, Mrs. Hahn resigned from the home due to ill health and her job was taken over by Mrs. Ora Clark and her daughter Leta.  Leta had previously worked at the Bethany nursing home and was “well trained for her duties.”

The nursing home operated for more than a year. On November 24, 1954, an ad appeared in the Bethany Republican-Clipper for a public sale on November 29 to sell the furniture and other goods  of the Ridgeway Nursing home.  An article in the in the Harrison County Times on Nov 25 stated that the patients at the home “were moved Friday and Saturday to the Lacy convalescent home in Bethany”. Mrs. Ora Clark resigned from the Ridgeway home due to ill health and moved to Bethany with her daughter Leta.

Bit of History - February 7, 2024

In February 1954, Ridgeway volunteers had a goal to collect $150 for the American Heart Association Heart Fund drive.  The Delta Lambda Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi and the Ridgeway Lions Club joined forces to put on a “Square and Round” dance.  The Lions sponsored the dance in the Ridge
way Field House and the Delta Lambda members handled the food for the event.  The Delta Lambda organization also put out heart coin boxes around town to collect change and worked with Ridgeway Boy Scout Troop 138 to canvas the Ridgeway residents for donations..  The Eckerson Brothers Orchestra provided music for the event and the dance raised over $91 and the Boy Scouts added another $41 and change for a grand total of $132.49. The dance must have been popular because the Ridgeway Lions Club brought the Eckerson Brothers Orchestra back two weeks later for another dance.

In addition the dances, Ridgeway hosted two fox and wolf drives.  Hunters were asked to bring shotguns only and meet at the Polley oil station.  The second drive included the use of staghounds.  The hunts lasted about two hours and any bounty money was donated to the March of Dimes.

One final bright note from this time period was a very nice article in the Harrison County Times about long time Ridgeway doctor and first woman to graduate from the University of Missouri School of Medicine Lake Brewer.  This article was reprinted from the Kansas City Star and talked about Dr. Brewer’s life history and her desire to help people.