history

Through the Years, Jan. 1

January 1, 2025

30 years ago December 28 1994 — WELLS SIGNS OPEN SHOP PACT; PLANNING EXPANSION Wells Aluminum Inc., with manufacturing plants in Cassville and Monett has signed a one year contract…

I’ve been pondering this piece for a few days, and every time I do, I land at the same question — where do I even begin? To say this year has been a whirlwind is an understatement. We started 2024 with a gleam in our eyes, coming off our first year of ownership of the Democrat where we enjoyed incredible support and success.

Barry County native collecting bits of history

January 1, 2025

Rural Purdy native David Keeling is sitting on a trove of local history, the result of a hobby he began a decade ago. “I’m a little embarrassed about the amount of stuff I’ve collected in just ten years,” said Keeling, whose hobby has led to a veritable museum of his own making.

Through the Years, Dec. 25

December 24, 2024

30 YEARS AGO: JUDGED BEST OF DECORATIONS — Providing a more than adequate identification for Santa Claus as he next arrives in Cassville, this home decoration scheme was chosen best of the town by Chamber of Commerce judges. The home is that of Jim and Helen O’Dell on Fair Street.

Through the Years, Dec. 18

December 17, 2024

40 YEARS AGO: CHRISTMAS, AN IMPORTANT PHASE — Started in early October, the Little Joe Transplant Fund in Cassville is nearing the halfway point as funds bump the $175,000 figure. Goal of the effort for a heart-lung transplant for six-year-old Joe Starchman is $350,000.

Through the Years, Dec. 11

December 10, 2024

40 YEARS AGO: SANTA IN SPECIAL VISIT HERE — Saturday was a special day in Cassville, Santa Claus took time out of his busy schedule to pay a visit here. The results were obviously good, the expressions on faces of youngsters who got a visit were ample reward.

Jeremiah Buntin: The Recorder of Deeds

December 4, 2024

The Missouri Governors Records from the Missouri State Archives and accessible through the Missouri Digital Heritage website is an interesting place to investigate the nooks and crannies of history. These records from 1837-1901 mostly consist of handwritten letters asking the governor for favors such as pardons and appointments, or signed petitions for various causes, or resignations from local offices. In 1852, Barry County Clerk William Hubbert, of Cassville, wrote Missouri Governor Austin Augustus King notifying him of a vacancy in the State Senate caused by the death of Littleberry Mason and that an election would be held immediately.

Lynn Hilburn: It’s that time of year

December 4, 2024

Although we were poor, most of the families and people that we knew were in about the same boat. For the children and families that attended the rural schools of Barry County, late fall and Christmas was some of our favorite times of the year.

Through the Years, Dec. 4

December 4, 2024

40 YEARS AGO: FREE ENTERPRISE WORKS — Typical examples of free enterprise were the actions of two young ladies in Cassville during last Wednesday morning’s awaking to snow covering the ground. Tracie Hill, 14, and Jennifer Dinsmore, 10, took the opportunity of being out of school to earn a few bucks shoveling snow from sidewalks of businesses. Their efforts were rewarding, plus saving owners the trouble of doing the job themselves. A quick warmup of temperatures in the 60’s over the weekend removed all traces of the first ground-coverer of the season.

November 27, 2024

The rain was falling with misty, unrelenting force as President Calvin Coolidge rose to deliver the greatest speech of his life. It was Monday, July 6, 1926, and the rain beat the president’s face as he stood before a crowd of 35,000 on the grounds of the Sesquicentennial Exposition in Philadelphia, the birthplace of American independence and constitutionalism. “Despite a fine drizzle, which became a heavy downpour,” The New York Times reported the next day, “the crowds patiently lined twenty miles of streets to pay their respects” to a man whose cool and quiet demeanor hid a patriotic intellect that could not be contained.