Author Archives: foothillsmedia

The above photo was published in the Daily Standard’s (Sikeston, Mo.) August 26, 1968 issue. This particular scan is not the best quality, but it is all I could find. Army Pfc. David Keith Pomeroy was killed on February 18, 1968 while serving in Vietnam. The Daily Standard reported: Mrs. Faye Pomeroy of Lutesville, inContinue reading “Lutesville Soldier Dies in Vietnam”

The December 23, 1909 Democrat – News ( Fredericktown, Missouri) announced that only the southbound local freight train of the St. Louis , Iron Mountain and Southern Railroad, would carry passengers between Bismarck and Glen Allen. The paper cited that the railroad now had two passenger trains running north and south daily and that theContinue reading “No More Passengers on Freight Trains”

I was invited to speak to the Wayne County [Missouri] Historical Society on April 5, 2021 and I have to say that I’ve never met a more welcoming, friendly and generous group of people. I would like to thank David Bollinger for the invite and all of those who came to listen to me speak.Continue reading “My Address to the Wayne County Historical Society”

In early December, 1982 the towns of Lutesville and Marble Hill were devastated when area flooding caused Crooked Creek to overflow its banks and entered local homes and businesses. The flooding was so severe it made the headlines of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in its December 05, 1982 edition which reported: “Lutesville- Crooked Creek isContinue reading “Flood of 1982 Devastated Lutesville / Marble Hill, Missouri”

The March 14, 1929 Greenville Sun carried the obituary of Mrs. J. N. Birdwell (other papers reported her name as J.M. Birdwell), which stated, in part: “Mrs. J.N. Birdwell, aged Patterson citizen, passed away at her home there Tuesday after an illness of almost three weeks with pneumonia following an attack of the flu. Mrs.Continue reading “Patterson Woman Served Two Governors”

The May 23, 1972 issue of The Daily Standard (Sikeston, Missouri) reported the robbery of the Bollinger County Bank the previous day. According to the paper a masked gunman entered the bank with a revolver and demanded the teller empty her cash drawer. The teller stated that she thought it was a joke at firstContinue reading “Bank Robbery in Lutesville!”

Lately I’ve been finding a lot of information on the railroad that passed through Bollinger county. Originally built by the St. Louis Iron Mountain and Southern, the line eventually fell into the hands of the Missouri Pacific railroad and though few signs remain to remind the public the railroad existed, it was once an engineeringContinue reading “Burlison Opposed Abandonment of the Belmont Branch”

The May 26, 1871 Perryville Weekly Union documented a rivalry of sorts between it and the Bollinger county Standard. The cause of the rivalry was whether or not the Iron Mountain railroad would be built through Bollinger or Perry county. The Weekly Union quoted the Bollinger county Standard which had reported: “Perry county is anglingContinue reading “Bollinger, Perry Counties Competed for Railroad”

The Perryville Weekly Union archives have really turned out to be a treasure trove for Southeast Missouri history. The May 15, 1863 edition of the paper reports of Frank Valle capturing capturing local militia members stating: “Militia Captured – We are informed that on last Sunday evening, while Henry Farrar, Daniel Rhyne and Major Clifton,Continue reading “Frank Valle Captures Union Militia”

Most of us were probably taught that the American Civil War was fought over slavery. In reality, the reasons for the war were far more complicated. Abraham Lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation on January 1, 1863. This was done for political purposes. From the Digital History website: “In August 1862, Lincoln stated: “If I could save the unionContinue reading “Many Unionists Protected Slavery”