Bit of History - September 27, 2023

Fall is a great time to get your autumn and winter wardrobes ready for colder weather and in 1908, Ridgeway merchants had everything you needed.  J. H. Shirer & Co. had all the fabrics to make your own clothing:  “Beautiful Black Fabrics, Plain and Fancy Serges, Broadcloth, Cheviots, Veiling. Voiles, materials for each and every occasion.”  Other J.H. Shirer ads announced that they had “2000 yards of Staple Apron Check Gingham” and sales on men’s autumn and winter coats and suits. If Shirer didn’t have what you wanted, Thomas & Co (successors to F. M. Spragg) had nearly $6000 of “dry goods, notions, shoes, Ladies and Children’s coats, etc. 

McCalls Patterns also advertised in the Ridgeway Journal that they had patterns for all the latest styles available for mail order. If you didn’t want to sew your own clothes, Clyde McKern, Merchant Tailor, would make suits to measure for the men and Mrs. Charles Burris was the ladies agent for Chas. A. Stevens & Bros. Of Chicago. She had all the latest style books and fabrics for made-to-order dresses, skirts and suits as well as catalogs for the complete line of ready-to-wear.  

After selecting their wardrobes, the ladies might visit Myrtle Elliot, Ridgeway’s milliner, to see the newest styles of hats or to have an old hat re-trimmed. For a finishing touch, O. P. Ragan had “the completest stock of Jewelry ever shown in this town” and would also perform repairs.  (From the pages of the Ridgeway Journals from September to November, 1908) After all that, Ridgeway residents were ready to step out in style.

Bit of History - May 31, 2023

I read a lot of ads while going through these old newspapers, but the most entertaining ads were placed in 1936 in the Ridgeway Journal by Sam Spence (the same guy that told Maxine Haun that her house was on fire).  Sam owned a feed store in Ridgeway and purchased wool, cream, eggs, poultry and hides as part of his business. He contracted with the creamery to sell the cream to them and had to keep a certain number of customers to keep the contract. His ads were direct and written like I would imagine the man himself talked.

The first ad I found was in January 1936 in which he wrote:  “Listen, folks, Maggie (that’s my wife) went up to Stanleys and bought a print dress and I have my first payment to make Monday or Joe said he would come and get the dress (it’s the only one she’s got).  Come in and help her out…”. In another ad, he accused one farmer of lying about his egg production  “Say, I sold a sack of Egg Mash to a man.  Said he was not getting any eggs and the next day he brought in fifteen dozen (I think he lied about not getting any eggs).  The mash is not that good; but folks, you had better try it and if you don’t like it, don’t buy any more.”  The next week, he issued an apology:  “Say, I want to apologize to the man who had the fifteen dozen.  He came back for his second sack — said he was satisfied and you will be too,..”  He stressed his honesty  in March:   “I know I done a million things I should not have done, but can’t you think of two things I done good…..One thing, folks, I always tried to give you fair tests, honest weights and correct count on your eggs, poults and cream….Folks, I buy on commission and it’s nothing to me to short you and I sure try to please you.”

Bit of History - April 19. 2023

In the January 7, 1909 edition of the Ridgeway Journal was a item with the title “A Sensation Divorce”.  It was the tale of a “beautiful blue-eyed maiden of eighteen summers” who lived in the town of B- .  Many young men sought her hand, but she resisted.  However, in time she wanted a home of her own.  Soon she met and married a young man of 23 and they settled down together.  Four years passed and they were joined by a “blue-eyed girl and a curly haired boy”.  Alas their marriage was doomed because no matter how hard she tried, her cooking just did not please him and they divorced.  Their home could have been happy If only they had lived in Ridgeway and bought all their groceries at Stoner’s Grocery Store “where all good things to eat are found”.  

(I didn’t realize it was an ad until I got to the end of the story either.  Interestingly, there was a divorce listed in the county report, so it could have happened.)

Bit of History - April 12, 2023

With spring comes planting season and the need for farm implements.  In 1900, W. Bridges & Walter Bartlett purchased the stock of L. A. Briggs and began selling farm implements by John Deere, George W. Brown,  Kratzer buggies and carriages, Moline wagons, and Milwaukee harvesters and mowers.  Looking at the 1914 Sanborn fire map of Ridgeway, they were located just north of the New Ridgeway Hotel.  

In 1911, they put an ad into the Ridgeway Journal to show off the John Deere two-row cultivator in which they said that “one man does as much as two with single row cultivators” and allowed the farmer to save the wages of the second man.  They also said that “it is well-balanced and does not punish the horses’ necks like ordinary two-row cultivators.”  The John Deere two-row plow, pictured being pulled by a team of three horses and could be used with our without a pole as the “horses control the plow just as well without a pole” because of the way that the plow was constructed. (Ridgeway Journal, Apr 20, 1911)

Bridges and Bartlett advertised pretty consistently in the Ridgeway Journal from 1900 to 1913 when the company became known simply as Bartlett Implement Co. owned by Walter Bartlett.  He continued to advertise that they have the finest farming implements for sale.  W. Bridges participated in city and county politics and purchased a grocery store, but but sold it a few years later. (Ridgeway Journal, Jan 8, 1920).

Bit of History - December 7, 2022

This time of year, advertisers everywhere are pushing their Christmas sales.  In 1932, the advertisers weren’t quite as prevalent, but there were several interesting ads in the December 22 edition of the Ridgeway Journal.  For example, Simmons Café was Ridgeway’s headquarters for Christmas candies, cigars and cigarettes.  Missouri Public Service offered electric gifts such as irons, toasters, lamps, and waffle irons.  The Ridgeway Journal suggested that a Remington typewriter might make an excellent gift.  

Jerry Katz at K. C. Jobbers had fur-trimmed coats, silk dresses and men’s suede jackets for sale as well as more practical garments such as union suits, winter caps, children’s bloomers, and men’s wool socks.  Stoner’s Drug Store had a big variety of dolls, toys, toilet sets, bill folds and many other gift ideas.  

Bit of History - September 28, 2022

I wrote before about the “Local Mentions” column in the old papers and how they reminded me of modern social media in that you found frequent ads interspersed with sick list notifications, people visiting back and forth, or going out of town for business or pleasure.  But back in the early 1900s, you also found companies requesting that people pay their bills and sometimes they got quite blunt about it.

All these examples come from the 1909 and 1910 editions of the Ridgeway Journal.  The first was from the paper itself and politely explained why subscribers needed to come in to pay their bills.  Other advertisers were more direct.  “Pay me, for I need the money.  MIKE” got his point across. Lair & Harrison asked nicely: “Please call and settle your account as we want to close up our business.”   O. P. Bennett, co-owner of a dry goods store, later owned a grocery store in the building that would be Scotts Grocery, also wrote “I NEED THE MONEY” and asked that anyone who owed Stoughton & Bennett to pay up.  I. M. Reeves, owner of a hardware and harness store, believed that advertising often would bring in the overdue accounts – he frequently had 3 or more ads in each paper: “Come in and lets square accounts.”, “I. M. Reeves needs the money.  Pay your account.”, “If you owe me, pay me.”, and “I mean business.  Settle your accounts at once.”.   I wonder how successful he was at getting paid as these ads were printed several weeks in a row. 

Bit of History - August 10, 2022

One of the best parts of combing through old papers is reading the ads.  These are just a few of the businesses located in Ridgeway that advertised in the Ridgeway Journal from February to March 1921:

Dale Bros. had Klondike Incubators and Old Colony Brooders available for sale which worked out nicely as Mrs. L. A. Hinkle had chicks available on March 20.  The Miner & Frees lumber yard had a new book of “Cornell Interiors” featuring wood paneling and trims for homes.  Maple’s Cash Groceries was closing out their stock and offering groceries at discount prices.  J. L. Mirgon offered a grain mill for grinding feed for sale and 10% off gang and sulky plows.   The Ashby Brothers lumber yard advertised that building prices were coming down about 40% from the previous year and  was the time to build or remodel your home.  L.O. Bandy had opened up a City Meat Market and had fresh and cured meats for sale.  O.P. Bennett offered groceries, clothing and dress goods.  Casteel’s Store offered groceries at close out prices also as they had lost the lease on their building, but just as they were getting ready to close, their lease was extended and they were back in business.

Reeves  Hardware offered the Successful Incurbator (their spelling, not mine) for sale and were giving  away a brand-new set of harnesses on July 4.  They also wrote a weekly column for the front page of the paper congratulating buyers on their purchases, such as Mrs. Deva Howard who bought a refrigerator for her mother.  You could buy Key overalls at J. H. Shirers; C. C. Leazenby offered his services as an auctioneer; and G. R. Gutridge was a “tonsorial artist”, aka barber.  Three doctors, two veterinarians and a dentist also advertised their services in the paper and the newspaper office itself offered printing services and typewriter ribbons. 

Bit of History - March 23, 2022

We all know that advertising helps pay for the media we enjoy like streaming TV, Facebook and other social sites, radio, magazines, and yes, newspapers such as this one.  

In 1914, advertising appeared throughout the newspaper, including the front page and op-ed pages where we don’t typically see advertising these days.  For example, on the front page of the March 20, 1913 edition of the Ridgeway Journal was an advertisement for seed potatoes by Stoner’s Drug Store.  The next week (March 27, 1913) , a clothing store in Ridgeway named Campbell & Bartlett advertised their little boys’ woolen suits would last twice as long as other company’s suits for boys. Several pages later, in the “Local Mention” column, we learn that Mrs. Bessie Brock of Eagleville came to visit at the Jim Brock home, Otta Richardson went Bethany to visit his sister, Gold Medal Flour was on sale, a baby girl was born to the Inks family  and Campbell & Bartlett could clean that clothing for you to keep it looking good.  I was amused to see that the “social media” hasn’t really changed all that much.