50 years ago
May 2, 1973
— The rural home of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Allred of Cassville was completely destroyed by fire Saturday night. Neighbors removed only a small portion of personal items from the home just east of Cassville adjacent to Highway 248. The Allreds, including three small daughters, were visiting Harrison, Arkansas when a fire from an undetermined source, started and eventually burned the building to the ground. The Cassville rural department answered a call to the location just east of the city limits but was unable to contain the flames. The family is staying at the home of Mrs. Allred’s brother, Gary Wilson of the Crane community.
— Plans for the Cassville Recreation Commission and City Park Board are moving in preparation for coming youth activities this summer, according to various spokesmen. The CRC is planning a meeting Monday night, May 7 at 7 p.m. in the school cafeteria to elect new officers and to formalize plans for baseball and football play during the respective seasons. Robert Casteel, CRC president, says all those interested in local youth programs are urged to attend. Rounding out the present officer list is Don Carr, vice-president and Mrs. Alicia Marshall, secretary. Programs most pressing for the CRC will be establishment of sign-up dates, acquiring adult personnel to assist the baseball divisions and getting team assignments made. The city park board has set tentative plans for improvements at the park development started last year. Truman Baker, board chairman, says plans call for infield improvements to the baseball field, installing new backstops and foul-line fences. Another major project of the board will be construction of tennis courts. No dollar figure on funds proposed by the city for use on the park has become available in preliminary budget sessions, but several projects are definitely scheduled this year. The infield improvement will include addition of sand to the soil for better upkeep. The tennis courts will be a major city improvement this year probably financed through Federal Revenue Sharing Funds. Their lay-out and location at the park is scheduled within the near future. Also scheduled for the park, when a location is assigned, will be construction of rest rooms by the Cassville Lions Club. Lester Purdom, club president, says the project has been approved by the club and their progress will depend on city approval of the site. Purdom estimated a club for this project. Baker said the park board including Dale Rowland, Gene Schlichtman, Joe Preddy and Ken Morris, planned recommending other park improvements for the summer program conducted at the new location for the first time last year.
— The Cassville zoning and planning commission Thursday sent a request for change to the city council with initial approval of the request of Able 2 Products. Ernest German, commission chairman, said the request involved property known as the old Pet Milk receiving plant. Zoning and planning co-mission approval paves the way for the city council to take action on the request during a meeting set Thursday, May 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the city hall. Jerry Watley, owner of Able 2, had requested the classification be changed from residential to Light Industrial, to permit his move from a present location which he intends to purchasefromthePetcompany. The site is no longer used as a milk receiving station. Watley told the commission of his plans for improvement to the property and made assurances his operations would cause no inconvenience to the neighborhood. The pending council action is also before a public hearing, required in all cases of requests for action in changing the zoning regulations in Cassville. During Pet’s operation here the classification was business. Recent changes resulted in a revision to residential. The recommended change would permit light industrial use on only the approximate three acres of the present site, much of which is located in the Flat Creek flood plain. Watley’s offer to purchase the building is contingent on securing the zoning change that would permit his operations. The company presently rates an assembly plant at County Farm Road and West 13th Street. Company plans are for expansion to several other lines, none of which would produce bad effects in the neighbor-hood. Watley also plans changes in the building that would make it more adaptable to the area. Mayor Bill LeCompte set the council’s public hearing on the proposal for a special meeting after receiving the zoning and planning commission decision.
40 years ago
April 27, 1983
— It might not be the best pastime in the world, but for Jim LeCompte, pouring over city records dating back to 1895 is work. The local attorney is in the process of up-dating Cassville ordinances and codifying them for more complete access. LeCompte looked over one ledger containing handwritten laws passed before the turn of the century. Several volumes of ledgers are being reviewed in the process of modernization began over a year ago by the city government.
— Barry County farmers have enrolled 3,383 acres of wheat and 1,109 of corn and grain sorghum in the 1983 PIK acreage reduction program, says Kerby Brooks, county executive director of the ASCS. Report date for the programs is June 1.
— Oldmobile Cutlasses and late-model Ford Pickups were the most stolen passenger cars and trucks in Missouri last year, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Criminal Investigation Division. A total of 16,868 vehicles were reported stolen in Missouri and entered into the Patrol’s computer system in 1982. This is an eleven percent decrease from the number of vehicles reported stolen the previous year. The number of vehicles recovered in 1982 totaled 11,0019,599 of which had been reported stolen last year. Members of the Highway Patrol were involved in the recovery of 770 stolen vehicles in 1982. Nearly two-thirds (63 per-cent) of the vehicles stolen in Missouri last year were reported in the Troop C area of the Highway Patrol which includes the City of St. Louis.
— Cassville tracksters have put points on score sheets in recent meets according Coach Ron Martin. At Joplin’s Invitational, the 800-relay team, Bill Knudtson, Dan Pueppke, Mark Still and Kirk Anderson were sixth. Billy Thompson’s 54.5 in the quarter was fourth, Anderson’s 45.9 in 300-meter hurdles was sixth and Still was fourth in triple jump with a 38-8.5 leap. Webb City’s relays had Thompson 18.6 in the high hurdles good for sixth and still’s jump of 36 feet in fourth. Freshman relays at East Newton placed Doug Bowman third in high jump at 5-2; Cary Skinner sixth in shot at 41 feet, Kirk Anderson fourth in high hurdles and first in lows, Kelly Crass was fourth in 1600-meter run at 5:24.6. Billy Knudtson, Bowman, David Yarber and Anderson in the 800-meter relay ranked fifth. Monett’s relays placed Thompson fifth in the high hurdles and fourth in the 400-meter dash; Still was sixth in triple jump and the 880 relay was fifth, Pueppke, Sill, Anderson and Knudtson.
— Tech. Sgt. Victor L. Brunton, son of Lorraine M. Brunton of Des Paines, Ill., has been selected to study for a bachelor’s degree under the Airman Education and Commissioning program (AECP) at Ramstein Air Base, west Germany. Brunton will attend Brigham Young University at Provo, Utah. Under АЕСР after a bachelor’s degree is earned, individuals enter Officer Training School at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, and upon graduation are commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. The sergeant’s wife, Deirdre, is the daughter of Eldon J. Fisher of rural Washburn.
30 years ago
April 21, 1993
— Cassville firemen were at the scene of a major residential fire at press time for the Democrat on. Wednesday morning. The 10:15 a.m. alarm sent two units to the blaze at 13th and Fair were a home owned by Bill Carney of Cassville was ablaze. The resident of the home was Mike Wilson. Firemen were attempting to attack a heavy fire in the ceiling and roof of the two-story structure by using breathing equipment while taking hoses inside.
— Numbering of homes in Butterfield is scheduled to be accomplished May 1 in a cooperative effort of members of the village board of trustees and Gas Service Co. At 10 a.m. that date, interested townspeople will meet at the Community Building to place numbers on residences. Options include people who want the village officials to place the numbers on their buildings. Those wishing to attach their own designating numbers to dwellings can secure the figures from city clerk Mary Boyd. Efforts to place numbers in Butterfield village residences are designed to assist in emergency vehicles finding locations and other purposes of safety. Trustees of the village include Orville Periman, chairman; Charley Mitchell, Wayne Williamson, Dan Brattin and JoAnn Davis.
— Barry County road districts should receive slightly increased revenues for the coming year, was the word commissioners of the 26 areas got in a meeting last week. The districts received a total of $1,982,730.99 for all sources last year according to treasurer Ben Loudermilk. District funds are apportioned on the basis of mileage, population, assessed valuation and sometimes the amount of land in Mark Twain National Forest that might be in their district. Commissioners Lloyd Dilbeck, Red Edens and Willadean Bradford met with the road people to discuss present year funding. Loudermilk said this week each district had seen revenue MC ease almost every year. Major source of funds in the county comes from the one-half cent sales tax.
