History Blog 

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

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

“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

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,

Marked as NUMBER 2 in this photo is a two-story brick, L-shaped house, wrapped in a frame porch. It was standing at 303 Fifth Street, South Hannibal, as early as 1858. This house, along with a smaller frame, two-story house located to the north (not visible in this photo) is considered to be the homestead for the J.D. Dowling family, early Hannibal pioneers. The Hannibal Daily Messenger mentioned Mr. Dowling in its Aug. 26, 1858 edition: “South Hannibal is improving rapidly.

A clerestory has replaced the 1986 skylight in the Ilene Ware addition to the Hannibal Free Public Library. An open house, celebrating the completion of the project, was held on Friday, October. 24, 2025. Contributed photo MARY LOU MONTGOMERY The three-story Ilene Ware addition to the Hannibal Free Public Library was completed in September 1986, and almost from the beginning, there were problems with the roof. The skylight feature allowed in harsh lighting that in turn faded

This is a clear photo of Hannibal’s electric light tower, located at Tenth and Bird Street, early in the 20th century. The photo was taken from the standpoint of the Cruikshank Mansion, facing southward. JJ Cruikshank photo, Steve Chou collection. MARY LOU MONTGOMERY Circa 1899, Arnold M. Conner, a bachelor, went to work for Hannibal’s electric department as a lamp trimmer. As evening approached, 365 days per year, it was his responsibility to ride his horse to the location o

NECAC Ralls County Service Coordinator Crystal Bliss grabs one of the last packages of ground beef from a freezer at her food pantry in New London. NECAC is seeking donations of perishable and non-perishable items to keep the pantry afloat as requests for help rise dramatically. More information is available by calling Bliss at (573) 985-2411 Mondays to Thursdays, from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Contributed photo MARY LOU MONTGOMERY If the prediction comes to fruition, and the Supp

Jacky Brothers Imhof was a young girl when “Forgotten Gastronomical Delicacies” was first published by members of the Holy Cross Church of Ilasco in 1961-1962. This is her personal copy of the book, which is now being reprinted. Funds from the sale of the cookbook will be used for ongoing maintenance of the historic church building. Contributed photo/Jacky Brothers Imhof. MARY LOU MONTGOMERY In the early years of the 1960s, a thriving community existed to the south of Hanniba

This image, believed to have been taken before the Civil War, shows the businesses along the east side of North Main street, 300 block. The City Drug Store, operated by Thomas E. Brittingham (1794-1876) was located within this row of buildings. The Planters House hotel is visible in the row, as is the Morley Bros., wholesale food store. Steve Chou collection. MARY LOU MONTGOMERY Thomas E. Brittingham, (1794-1876) among the settlers when Hannibal was still in its infancy, was