
Drapers Block still standing on Broadway after 141 years
This sketch is from the 1875 Marion County Atlas, accessed through the Missouri Secretary of State's digital site. After studying the...


Dance marathon in Hannibal, Mo. circa 1930
I've been poking around on the internet today in search of information about the fad from the 1920s and 1930s regarding dance marathons....


A sneak peak at a new Ilasco history project
David and Sally Polc stopped by my office at the Courier-Post today for a short visit, which grew into an elaborate history discussion. I...
It's how you enhance your derriere that counts
Today's "trending news" regarding women who are going to great lengths to enhance their derrieres isn't anything new. The Sept. 9, 1875...


1859: From Hannibal to St. Joseph by rail in 9 hours!
I came across the following clipping from the Hannibal Messenger, dated Sept. 15, 1859, that describes Col. Gentry's trip across Missouri...


Is this a toll house? (No, not toll house as in cookies!)
This weekend I pinpointed this property, at 3626 Market St., Hannibal, Mo., as the site for the first toll house for the Hannibal,...


1859: Key downtown lots for sale at auction
How fun is this? I just wrote about the Hymn Fest to raise money to repair the 130+ year old organ at Trinity Episcopal Church, and now I...

1851: Merchant's death follows a hearty serving of turtle soup
Edward Dunning was a leading Hannibal merchant in 1851, selling dry goods, hats and caps for boys and men and queensware from his shop on...


Section 36 Township 57 Range 5W Marion County Missouri
Thanks to my daughter, Marla, I have located boundaries of land that was in my family in the later part of the 19th Century. The property...
Finding a genealogy connection!
I'm so excited this morning; in a way that only genealogists can understand. I just found out that a friend of mine is the great-great...