Bit of History -- December 24, 2025

From the front page of the Ridgeway Journal dated December 19, 1940:

The grade school children of Ridgeway were presenting a Christmas Pageant in the school auditorium. The chorus would include sixty grade school children. Among the “stars” of the cast were Juanita Stockwell, who played Mary. Joseph was played by Marvin Scott, Gerald Bake and Darryl Dale (not sure why it took three boys to play Joseph.: Kenneth Wise, David Jincks and Junior Roberts. Betty Jean Polley was the Herald Angel and Heralds by Billy Williams and Bryce Polley.

In other school doings, the first graders “wrote a letter to Santa Claus inviting him to visit their room tomorrow Friday” and Gerald Dean Nible brought us a big Christmas tree. The girls and boys decorated it.” Meanwhile, the third graders had Santa Claus flying through the air in an airplane in our hall. We hope he lands next Friday. The fourth grade class “studied Christmas trees and how to tell the difference between fir, spruce, hemlock and cedar.”

Bit of History -- December 17, 2025

From the Ridgeway Journal dated December 14, 1893:   

“Old Aunt Em” and her family had what was probably the shortest residence on record in Ridgeway.  She moved from Bethany with her husband, children and household goods and the next day, she had to move back to Bethany.  “As soon as our people learned the next morning that she was in town, the marshal interviewed her and she promptly departed south for the town of iniquity from which she came.”  She was strongly encouraged to leave Ridgeway once the officials learned she was a prostitute and had run a house of ill repute for fifteen years in Bethany.  

While Ridgeway officials were glad for Bethany in that they were trying to “wipe the evils from their town”, they didn’t appreciate that those evils were moving into their own town.  “We are glad that at last Bethany has a set of officials who are making an honest effort to wipe the evils from their town, and we think all the good citizens, all over the county should encourage them in the work...Let the good work go on down there and if that town will ship them, we are sure none of the other towns of the county will harbor them.”

Bit of History -- December 10, 2025

In the December 7, 1893 edition of the Ridgeway Journal, the editor made what was probably a contentious suggestion: “It has been suggested that the Sunday schools unite and have a union Christmas tree at the Kern hall.” The writer thought this would be an excellent idea as “A large majority of the people would like to attend both trees, and the way it always has been, both churches were crowded and no one could take any comfort.” By combining the Sunday Schools of both the Methodist Episcopal and Christian churches and holding the program in Kern Opera House, there would be plenty of room and “would also be a good thing to bring the schools closer in a social relation and make them work more in harmony.”

Despite the editorial encouragement, the Methodist church continued with having its own program, complete with a Christmas tree and arch filled with gifts, a full program and a meal. The Christian Church held its program on the same night in the Kern Hall. After the night of festivities, the paper published a brief item mentioning that both programs had been well attended and enjoyed by many, but were interrupted by a fire alarm for a home in East Ridgeway. “A splendid program had been prepared but its effect was spoiled by the alarm of fire and a stampede was narrowly averted”, however “The tree was well laden with presents and all had a good time.”

Bit of History -- December 3, 2025

In 1920, the Ridgeway Journal dedicated an entire page of its December 20 holiday edition to stories about the Ridgeway school. The reporter from the Journal who wrote the article didn’t have a by-line so I have no way of know if the reporter was male or female.

The reporter visited every school room and described the room and what the students were doing that day. In room 1, the reporter was delighted by the décor: “the dainty curtains at the windows, the well chosen pictures on the walls, the string of Japanese lanterns and the flowers in the windows.” In every classroom, the students were hard at work with lessons in reading, arithmetic, geography, and more. The reporter also noted that “in all the rooms visited, the ample lighting, heating and good ventilation and single seats contributed to comfort and the pictures, flowers and curtains pleased the eye and the books added a charm of their own.”

“While we are proud of every branch of our school, yet we look with especial pride upon our High School.” In addition to the general education classes such as algebra, history, English and Latin, the high school provided teacher and business education with classes in typing and shorthand and prepared many students for college educations. As of the date of the article, seventeen Ridgeway graduate were enrolled in higher education with nine at Missouri State University, three in the University of Kansas, two in the Kirksville normal school (now known as Truman State University) and three in the Warrensburg normal school (now known as the University of Central Missouri.) The article then went on to describe the education program and the business courses. It ended with “The people who are now enjoying the benefits of the school should be, and are, very grateful not only for the persistent efforts of the various school boards which suggested and the people who voted for our magnificent school building, but to the efficient and unending efforts of the various teachers who have from time to time had charge of the different departments.”