History Blog 

Decorated for the holidays, Mississippi Marketplace offers a variety of kitchen gadgets for the most selective holiday cook. All kitchen gadgets are tried and true. Photo contributed by Lauren Jackson. MARY LOU MONTGOMERY It has been nearly a year since Linda Studer and her daughter, Lauren Jackson, made the decision to blend their business talents and resources in order to invest in downtown Hannibal. In January 2025 they purchased the building at 217 North Main, where the f

This 1903 panoramic photo, credited to local photographer Anna Schnitzlein, shows a clear view of South Main Street, as it stood directly to the west of the Burlington Railroad yards. The Quincy House was on the west side of South Main, in the 200 block, as numbered from the Bear Creek Bridge south, located to the north in this photo. The 2 1/2 story frame building was been torn down by 1913, and replaced by a single-story brick building. Photo from Steve Chou’s collection, r

Korbyn Hudson, 6, is being credited by his family for awakening his mother when he noticed that the ceiling in his bedroom appeared to be “melting” at 2 a.m. Nov. 14. Once awake, his mother, Cierra, said that she called 911 and escaped the burning house at 1250 Broadway with her two young sons. Korbyn is pictured with a Lego camera that he constructed himself. He has aspirations of becoming a blogger. Photo contributed by Cierra Thomas. MARY LOU MONTGOMERY Six-year-old Korbyn

Stephen Emmerton lived in south Hannibal from pre-1860 until the early 1880s. He worked as a porter for the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. Photo shared by Gale Cottrell, who identifies Mr. Emmerton as her three-time great-grandfather. Reprinted with permission. MARY LOU MONTGOMERY The dawn of 1877 found Stephen Emmerton and two of his sons, Edward and Walter, working for the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. All three made their homes in South Hannibal, in the vicinity of

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

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

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.

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

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

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