Primary quilting qualification: Ability to sew a straight line
Members of the Hannibal Piecemaker’s Quilt Guild are pictured with patriotic-themed lap robes to be given to returning Honor Flight veterans. From left, Lisa Bross, Patsy Whitley, Joy Picket and Donna Salter. Photo contributed by Tina Landskroener, president of the Hannibal Piecemaker’s Quilt Guild. MARY LOU MONTGOMERY All you need in order to make a quilt is fabric, a sewing machine with thread in it, and the ability to sew a straight line. That’s the message offered by Tina
Looking back on fond career of teaching children to dance
Lynn (Golden, Ferrel) Haugh poses alongside her long-time friend and fellow dance instructor, Ann Schneider Lear. Contributed photo. MARY LOU MONTGOMERY After a career spent perpetually shining the spotlight on the talents of Hannibal’s youth, Lynn Haugh, at the age of 81, can now relax within the confines of her Hannibal hilltop home and reflect upon the years devoted to dance. A daughter of Hannibal, Lynn was born to Larry R. Golden, a railroad brakeman, and his wife, Margu
Nutrition center closing doors to dine-in meals
The last scheduled meal to be served in the dining room at the Hannibal Nutrition Center will be Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. Hopefully, the dining room’s closing is temporary. Steve Carroll, board member, blames the closing on “the government shutdown, compounded by a regional policy dispute.” File photo contributed by Margee Tucker, the nutrition center’s executive director. MARY LOU MONTGOMERY An announcement came this week that will have significant impact on Hannibal’s core.
Civil War veteran, GAR member, lived out his life in South Hannibal
The white marble headstone attached to the grave of Christian Wolf at Mount Olivet Cemetery was supplied by the U.S. Government. Wolf was a member of the William T. Sherman Post 43, Grand Army of the Republic, which did research on behalf of the government to locate and subsequently mark graves of old soldiers. Photo by Meryle Martin Dexheimer. MARY LOU MONTGOMERY At the beginning of the 20th Century, members of the William T. Sherman Post 43, Grand Army of the Republic, did
Citizens rise to assist those affected by SNAP curtailment
Tara Otten, her husband and son, Ernie and Terner, and family members Shayna and Wes Martin, Linda and LaRay Mundell and Jessica Mundell, pulled together pop-up food pantries on Nov. 7 and 14 on Country Club Drive, in order to help those affected by the government shutdown and its impact upon the SNAP program. Photo contributed by Tara Otten. MARY LOU MONTGOMERY The most vulnerable of citizens are among those hit the hardest by the government shutdown. During the shutdown, wh
Hickory Stick: A gem in midst of historic district
Pat Waelder, as pictured in her shop in Hannibal’s Historic District. Hickory Stick photo. MARY LOU MONTGOMERY Pat Juette had asthma when she was a senior in high school, 1959-1960, and was unable to take PE or participate in sports. Instead, she spent her extra curricular hours in home economics class, at Quincy Senior High School. There, “I made my dresses and skirts,” Pat said, a process that came naturally. “My grandmother always sewed.” Little could Pat have imagined, wh
50 years writing for the Hannibal Courier-Post: Things I learned along the way
November 10, 2025 Mary Lou Montgomery, circa 1976, assembling the “clip files” for the Hannibal Courier-Post. Before the advent of computers, this was the newspaper’s means of cataloguing stories for future reference. The files are now in the possession of the Hannibal Free Public Library. HCP file photo. MARY LOU MONTGOMERY Fifty years ago, this very month, I accepted an invitation from Sandy Luipersbeck, Courier-Post Community Editor, to interview for a part-time proofreadi
Rare Cabinet Card collection forms the core for new book
“Live, on stage in Hannibal: 1879: H.M.S. Pinafore’ features reproductions of historic Cabinet Card photos taken in Hannibal in 1879. The rare photo collection was shared by Joseph Haslwanter of Saulsbury, Tenn. Book available via Amazon.com The Cabinet Card, according to Wikipedia, “was a style of photograph that was widely used for photographic portraiture after 1870. It consisted of a thin photograph mounted on a card typically measuring 4 1/4 by 6 1/2 inches.” A scrapbook
Horses, like people, have own unique personalities
The girls in the pasture at Hickory Lane Horse Farms, Ralls County, Mo. Photo contributed by Donna Hudson. MARY LOU MONTGOMERY Donna Hudson raises quarter horses on her small farm four miles south of New London, and she has learned to identify and respect the horses for who they are. “They are kinda like people. Everybody has different personalities and that’s the way the horses are. “One is a little flighty. If something moves, she spooks then she runs, but she’s also very,