A Dark Point in St. Joseph History

by Erin Eddins

A fellow history enthusiast made a suggestion a few weeks back for a possible topic for Old Joe. I am always open to suggestions and eagerly set out on task. The recommendation came for an article on public hangings in

Buchanan County. A dark but interesting assignment, I decided to pursue it.

As I always do I reflected on my own memories and family history as my starting point. Let’s see, I’ve never participated in or watching a public hanging. No one in my family history has been to the gallows. The closest I could come was the posthumous execution of Oliver Cromwell, a distant uncle on my maternal grandfather’s side. But that is another story for another day and probably would be a stretch to include in Old Joe. (Full story)

Posted by: admin on Wednesday, August 27th, 2008
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The Parkway System; St. Joseph’s Necklace of Jewels

 

By James Jarold

 

I was talking recently with a visitor from

Europe that I encountered taking photos along the parkway. Through his heavily accented English, he explained that he was traveling across the

U.S. documenting the best of American parks and public spaces. He told me he had heard of

St. Joseph’s beautiful parkway system before he ever crossed the ocean.

 

As a lifelong Joe, I’ve traveled every inch of the route, just as most of you readers have. Its human nature to take things for granted that are right there in front of your nose. I admit that the parkway to me is often just the quickest way from point A to B. How refreshing it was to hear someone from another country gush about how lucky we are to live with such a magnificent example of man harnessing nature for civic pleasure. (Full story)

Posted by: admin on Tuesday, August 12th, 2008
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Baseball Tidbits

 

Bob Slater

 

St. Joseph’s first professional baseball team was the Redstockings in 1886, managed by John Albus, who played in a ballpark at 4th and

Hickory streets. Incidentally, that was the site of the last public hanging in

Buchanan County. The team wore dark green uniforms, red stockings, white caps for the players, a red cap for the captain. The 12-member team played 80 games; season tickets were $10 In 1892, the baseball team moved to a park at 6th and

Atchison streets — just south of the

Aquila building — that was rented from Milton Tootle for $500. 

St. Joseph in those early days played primarily in the Western League, a class A league. That was in the days when we had, below the majors, AA (American Association, International League and Pacific Coast League), A (

Western Texas and Southern leagues), B, C and D leagues. (Full story)

Posted by: admin on Friday, July 25th, 2008
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Take Me Out to the Old Ball Game

  

by Erin Eddins, Source Publications

Earlier this week I sat down at

Heritage

Park to watch the ballgames. Our little group of friends grilled out, we heckled other ballplayers and just had an all around good time. It made me smile as I remembered the few elementary years that my family lived across the street from the school playground. On the side closest to our house was a baseball diamond. Through the summers it was always overgrown and missing its white lines but that never stopped the neighborhood kids from setting out make-shift bases and starting a game. (Full story)

Posted by: admin on Thursday, July 10th, 2008
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Big Lake, A Long Time Joe Vacation Spot

 by Wayne Jensen, Independent writer.

With the high price of gas, I had decided to hang around St. Joe this summer, but then the kids started to drive me crazy. What’s a guy to do?? So I grabbed a cup of Joe and got to thinking about my dilemma. Then it hit me!

I remembered a couple good ol’ Joes who had discovered a solution to this problem when I was one of those over-energetic kids. Joe Detheridge (sp) and Joe Welty’s Garage wizard mechanic, Marshall Harlow, had led a parade of Joes up the highway to a place called

Big

Lake. We had had some great times on that old lake, so I decided to check it out. I loaded up the family and we headed north on I-29.

(Full story)

Posted by: admin on Thursday, June 26th, 2008
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Dive Into Some Local Swimming Spots

by Erin Eddins

Signs of summer are everywhere. It seemed a long time coming this year. Realistically I knew it would eventually happen but each day the concern grew that maybe I would never again feel the gentle burn of a 95-degree sun on my shoulders. But alas, it came. Maybe not quite to 95 just yet but 90 feels just as good.

 

With the trees full of leaves and the air full of the familiar scent of lavender it is certain….summer is here.

 

Those of you recalling my upbringing in

Wyoming are probably wondering what summer memories I have. Admittedly summer out there is very short but still enjoyable. And the best part of it is swimming. My sister and I would swim in any body of water we could find. My favorite of which was

Sinks Canyon. Mind you the

Popo Agie River, which runs the course through the canyon, is cold and in places very violent, but wading in the shallow pools created at the banks was a favorite pastime of ours. (Full story)

Posted by: admin on Saturday, June 14th, 2008
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“I Buy Anything” A St. Joe Retail Legend.

By Jay Kerner                                                                     

I always enjoy Erin Eddins’ Old Joe pieces. It’s interesting to a local like me, how a relative newbie like her can dig out the history and little known facts that I never knew before. We’ve also heard from a lot of readers who have flipped the calendar more times than I have. I like to think of those folks as our historical watchdogs. They’re the ones who let us know when we get a date wrong or place a building on a wrong street corner.

 

They’re also quick to respond with info when we put out a request on a certain subject. A perfect example was when

Erin mentioned the “I Buy Anything” store, a couple of issues back. She had seen the large sign from the business, which hangs in the front room of the D &G Restaurant and wondered about it in print. Once again the Joes came out of the woodwork with answers. She was busy at work on the feature for this issue, so I was excited to grab this one and run with it. (Full story)

Posted by: admin on Wednesday, May 28th, 2008
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TRACKS AND TRAINS

by Mary Maker, Independent Writer

I was eleven years old when we moved to the house behind our restaurant. Directly across the street was Patee Park. On the corner was the “Park” Bank, next Grunwald’s pharmacy, Perry’s Grocery and our restaurant, “Bake’s Chili Parlor.” The main post office was located at 8th and Edmond but the closest neighborhood postal facility was housed in the old train station on 6th Street. It was a beautiful old brick station, nice waiting room; I seem to recall that the floors were tiled with small octagonal white tiles. There was a restaurant, today we might call it a snack bar, situated on the east wall, and rows of wooden pews for waiting travelers. The railroad station faced 6th Street, but I approached it from the rear which was paved with brick, where many hand pulled wooden baggage carts set high on iron wheels, were loaded or waiting to be loaded with luggage and freight. (Full story)

Posted by: admin on Thursday, May 15th, 2008
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THE U. S. W. B.

By Anne JohnsonPhotographs byNigh Johnson 

 

Driving up behind the St. Joseph Law Enforcement Center you come to a large Beaux Arts, red brick house at 520 North 5th Street. There it stands, high on a hill overlooking the Missouri River and the surrounding areas of the city. Its flat roof is surrounded by an elaborate balustrade. The quoins on the corners of this four square building are sure to catch your eye. The symmetrical front is topped, above the center second floor window, by what appears to be a white stone block with the carved letters “U S W B”. The U and S are intertwined and the W and B share a common line. It is not obvious but the roof, balustrade and decorations are all white painted pressed tin; not stone, after all. Surely there is a story to go with this striking symbol of a by-gone era. (Full story)

Posted by: admin on Saturday, May 3rd, 2008
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The St. Joseph School District

by Erin Eddins, Source Publications

The city is buzzing about the school district. It has been for a while now. And it seems the buzz is not about to die down. Everyone has something to say regarding the plans to rebuild, relocate, renovate and raze a variety of the school houses we know here in town. As I mentioned last issue, I have spent some time asking a variety of folks their opinions, and more importantly for our purpose, their memories of our school district and the school houses that are no more. The most fruitful of these conversations was shared with Mr. Don Lentz, former principle of

Bode

Middle School. (Full story)

Posted by: admin on Thursday, April 17th, 2008
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