50 years ago
Aug. 1, 1973
— Although it probably won’t be reflected in tourist numbers this year, area gasoline stations continue watching the number of gallons they pump each day.
Some major stations this week reported further cuts in quotas. Late evening or Sunday purchase of gasoline here is from one or two sources which remain open. Most stations close for the complete day on Sunday, While most operators are doing all within their power to take care of the visiting public, they quite frankly admit their plans are to take care of regular customers first. There haven’t been any stranded stories going around. … just considerable discussion and not all favorable about the companies who are responsible for supplying local oilmen.
— Taggerts Purchase Drug Store From Mrs. Wooten Taggert’s Medicine Shop will be the new name for Wooten Drug in Cassville effective and Monday When Mr. and Mrs. Gene Taggert purchased the business from Mrs. Lucille Wooten. Taggert, who became associated with the firm in February, said the sale was effective immediately. Mrs. Wooten, who with her late husband, Marion W. Wooten, came here in 1935, retained possession of the business property located on the north side of the public square here. The Wootens have operated the business39 years here. Wooten, a civic leader here, passed away four years ago. Taggert, a native of Southwest City, is a graduate of pharmacy school at Southwest State College at Weatherford, Oklahoma. The Taggert family, including four children, resides in Jackson Mobile Home Park. They came early this year from Iowa. Mrs. Wooten said she planned to remain in Cassville to make her home. She and her late husband came here as newlyweds from Pierce City. Their son, Charles, is a pharmacist associated with a Kansas City firm.
— Rate Hike Request To Increase Gas Prices Cities Service Gas Company today filed an application with the Federal Power Commission for an increase in rates to offset increasing costs of providing natural gas service, and to enable the company to continue its efforts to obtain supplies of natural and synthetic gas.
The company said the proposed rates represent an increase of $21 million annually, or about 75 cents per month for the average family residence supplied from its pipeline system. The company is the wholesale supplier of natural gas to local distribution systems in 501 towns in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, And Texas, Nebraska, including Gas Service Co. in this area. Its revenues are deficient, the company said, because of increased federal and state income taxes, and increases in the cost of purchased gas, materials, supplies, wages and services required to operate and maintain its 8,300 mile pipeline system. In addition, the company said it needed an adjustment in rates because of increased advance payments to producers to develop reserves of natural gas. New While the application formally requests that the new rates be made effective August 23, a company spokesman pointed out that any rate increase is necessarily subject to the Economic Stabilization Act and to commission regulations.
— Mrs. Donna Stephens of Cassville has been named by Howard Longley to assist him in the operation of the Missouri Revenue Department Office here. The office is now located at the corner of Eighth and Main in Cassville.
— The Barry County Sheriff’s Office is investigating break ins at the James Vinson home at Butterfield and the Bill Roller home at Purdy last Saturday night. At the Vinson home a TV set was taken along with other items. At the Roller home 12-15 rifles, meat from a deep freeze and clothing were reported missing.
— Two youths were arraigned in Barry County Magistrate Court Thursday on charges of burglary in connection with the break-in of the Harris-Howell Clinic in Purdy at about 1 a.m. that morning. The sheriff’s office reported that two youths, of Springfield, are being held on $5,000 bond each with their hearings preliminary hear- set for this Thursday, August 2. They were Purdy apprehended by police and sheriff’s officers at the clinic, one inside the building and the other outside. The sheriff’s office also reported that Long ran through a screen door at the county jail the afternoon of his arrest, but was recaptured about 30 minutes later. The same clinic was plagued last year by at least two burglaries in which quantities of medicines and narcotics were bundled up by the wouldbe thieves. In the past several years, the clinic has been the target of several break-ins or attempts. On several of the instances owners Dr. Kermit Howell and Dr. Noel Harris were the first to arrive on the scene to confront the burglars. At least two shooting incidents have occurred at the clinic during burglaries over the past few years. Sheriff Vernon Still’s office said the youths apparently did not have time to assemble any merchandise or money in the burglary before they were apprehended.
40 years ago
July 27, 1983
— Mrs. Helen Bennett, business teacher in the Purdy R-ll schools, has been nominated for 198384 Missouri Teacher of the year. A Purdy native, she is a veteran teacher of 33 years, 32 in the Purdy system.
She is active in school, community and church activities. She is a member of Missouri State Teschers Association, Missouri vocational Association, Missouri Business Education Association, American Vocstional Association, National Business Education Association, Southwest Missouri State University Alumni Association, Future Business Leaders of America and Word Processing Association of Southwest Missouri.
— Barry County’s seat of government will be 70 years old on August 9. To commemorate the anniversary, the Barry County Court this week set Saturday, August 13 for an open house event. In the observance, the hours of 9 a.m. to noon will be set aside for a time during which the court urges county residents to visit the courthouse and see improvements that have been accomplished. County officials will be in their offices and welcome guest. County Clerk Rex Stumpff said refreshments will be served throughout the anniversary observance. Presiding Judge Lloyd Dilbeck said a short program would also be held in the circuit court room. He emphasized the program would be brief and serve to call attention to improvements accomplished and recognize the 70th anniversary of the second center of government for the county. Dilbeck said an emphasis during the anniversary will be for people to see the restoration that has been accomplished by custodian Charley Baker and crews under his direction. Highlights have been returning woodwork in the courthouse to its original finish. A recently completed redecoration program and other projects not yet finished will be rushed to completion before the observance.
“Barry County officials are proud of the projects completed to bring the courthouse interior to one of the most attractive of this area. During this special anniversary period, it was our thinking to give groups or individuals an opportunity to see what has been done during a special recognition program,” Dilbeck said. “A number of individual office holders have indicated they will have their departments in full operation for the day and will be especially anxious to meet those attending the event.”
— Water use in the city of Cassville reflected recent hot weather, according to Tim Miller, superintendent of the city department. One of the heaviest days this year was Monday when 630,000 gallons were pumped, according to Miller. “We’ll probably have about the same gallonage Tuesday, since we’re running two pumps to keep storage facilities full,” Miller said. The period Friday through Sunday had 1,650,000 gallons pumped by city wells. Cassville has three deep well sources of water that are presently being used. A fourth well is used for stand-by purposes only. Miller said Mondays are normally heavy water useage days, with washday and industrial consumption. This week department crews were installing a number of new meters at both residential and commercial locations. City clerk Jo Ledgerwood explained the meters were being replaced because of apparent inaccurate readings.
— Debbie Brown of Exeter has been promoted to branch manager of United Savings and Loan of Cassville. Mrs. Brown replaces Mrs. Gina Aston, who resigned. Mr. and Mrs. Bill Aston and family will soon depart for Columbus, Kansas, where he will be personnel director of Ace Electric Manufacturing. Aston was formerly associated with FASCO Industries of Cassville and Bass Proshops in Springfield. They have resided in Wildwood Estates here.
30 years ago
July 21, 1993
— Preliminary estimates on July 6 flood damage in Barry County will put the figure over $I million. That amount was provided government agencies as they flocked to Cassville over the weekend to receive claims for assistance. Involved in the figure is $788,000 from Barry County on road and bridge damage that was experienced in about onehalf of the road districts that serve the county. An additional $233,712 figure is preliminary for Cassville damage. Agricultural losses, not including crops, were placed at $450,000. Estimates from the ASCS were preliminary, including only land, structure and equipment losses. Damage to fescue seed, soybeans and a variety of hay crops would not be immediately available according to county office director Heather Li g h t f o o t – Al i amo . Cassville figures include $9,804 in work accomplished, $23,575 damage to the water distribution system, $5,609 to waste water system, $157,025 to streets, bridges and ditches and $37,699 to parks. The figures were presented to state and federal agencies by city clerk Jo Ledgerwood and public works director Steve Henderson during a Saturday flood relief session. Presiding commissioner Lloyd Dilbeck made the county’s case in providing initial figures. He stressed they were preliminary, — Starting as a hobby 25 years ago, the collections of Winford Prier of Golden are going into a 5,168 square foot museum in the Table Rock Lake community of Golden. Prier won’t even guess about the number of American Indians’ pottery, clothing, arrowheads and other artifacts, mineral exhibits, fossils, wildlife, oriental carvings, custard glass, blue willow, tools, law enforcement equipment and other objects. Named Golden Pioneer Museum, Prier’s building is located at the intersection of Highway 86 and Route J. Inside the metal structure are 72 displays behind glass panels and 25 wall displays. The configuration of the display has two hallways, visitors can view exhibits on both sides as they make their way along the 135 foot areas. A pride of the exhibit is some 831 pottery pieces that are rated in the “rare” category by Prier. They were a part of a Huntsville, Ark. display that the Golden native purchased several years ago. Mineral exhibits include everything from moon rock sat-ples to petrified rattlesnake eggs.
Prier’s been in the process of getting his collections together for the past two years, realizing the dream of putting the pieces in a place where the public can see them. And, it’s got another feature that will be popular, it’s all free.
Targeting an opening in three weeks, Prier says he will be leaning on curator Murray Carmichael to run the museum. Much of his Indian material collections were encouraged by a former Golden resident Carl Allain.
The arrow-head groupings will include at least 30,000 pieces. Many of these, including the world’s largest collection of Tussinger Points, have special meaning. Prier explains the Tussinger collection from Oklahoma was supposedly taken from mounds in that state. When the owner died, it was discovered the individual was actually making the arrow points and passing them as antique. The workmanship was so good they have been accepted as real by collectors and still bear the man’s name. One display holds a collection of items provided by former Barry County sheriff Vernon Still. Items include those which had been taken from jail prisoners and others that had been confiscated during crime involvements in the county. Included is a noose that had been fashioned from pieces of a mattress in the jail. Clothing in the display will include a pair of Confederate soldier’s trousers that had fallen into the hands of an Indian and subsequently adorned by beads and other decorations. Many necklaces of Indian design are included in the collection. Dalton point exhibits in the future museum number about 1,000 and date back to 800 BC. A 20-panel collection displaying three foot square exhibits of arrow heads that once belonged to the father of Cassville elementary principal Martha Dunnam. Included in the Oriental items are jade, ivory and turquoise items. A collection of hand bells is contained in one of the large display area. Prier said he wouldn’t even attempt to put a “ballpark estimate, on the number of items on display. And he isn’t finished completely with the exhibit area. Some of the corner items are equipped with blacklight to show special features. Attempts will be made to secure exhibits of wild life from this area to be included in a special exhibit area. Included will be Prier’s idea of having “all five species of squirrel who reside in the woods of Barry County. Extensive travel by Mr. and Mrs. Prier over the years has provided some of the ideas that will be included in the museum. The displays aren’t all owned by the Prier couple. A master security system protects the exhibits. Prier’s attachment to some of the items on display are obvious, as the sparkle in his eyes as he leads a spectator through the display areas. It’s obvious he’s spent time during the 25 years of collecting toward planning for the layout of the museum. A list of comments at the entryway recorded reactions of an initial group that went through the facility Sunday. They were all obviously impressed,” noted Prier as he read some of them off. That caused another kind of sparkle in his eyes.
— Two juvenile girls from Exeter were the subject of a seven-hour search by authorities this week after they were reported missing. The girls, 16 and 12, were “not far from home” according to an official and were apparently returned by neighbors at whose house they were visiting. Missing posters with one of the girls photo had been circulated in the area.
— 1977 Flood Decision Returns To Cassville A 16-year-old decision in Cassville might come back and have some affect on assistance people damaged in the July 6 receive. The National Flood Insurance pro-gram, relating to a Cassville flood plain, might rule out some loan features that could be available. Agencies having loan funds available also require insurance in a flood plain area, and that isn’t available through the federal program in Cassville. Insurance is available through individual companies, but usually costs more than those involved can afford. The 1977 decision of Cassville not to accept an Army Corps of Engineer designated flood plain relates to the problem. Officials at the time ruled the designation was excessive and decided the strict regulations that would be enforced was not in the best interest of the community.
Designations of flood levels were later accepted as excessive of any past flash food by other agencies.
Grant funds or other forms of assistance might not be affected by the flood plain boundaries.
Flooded areas, both municipal and rural, could be assisted as a result of a possible special session of the Missouri legislature that is being contemplated by Governor Mel Carnahan.
