125 Years Ago: 1901
The city of Maryville petitioned to pave main roads in town. The pavement plan began with South Main Street and included the strip 24 feet outside of business blocks. Reporters of the Maryville Tribune noted how the people of Maryville “commenced snapping at the paving appropriation like a hungry trout at a fly.” Some were quite unenthusiastic about this change to the city, while others saw it as necessary for the advancement of the town as a whole.
H. M. Lincoln, of Pickering, constructed at new rural school building 24 feet by 30 feet for $1000. It was the Moore school northwest of Ravenwood, about 10 miles northeast of Maryville.
In 1901, corn was sold on the streets of Maryville for 50 cents per bushel. Citizens were upset about the high cost under the McKinley administration, but some, like W. A. Hooper, still paid the price.
A 25-year-old from Vienna, Austria, fell to a sudden death when working on a farm south of Maryville. The laborer was standing on a haystack and fell off after a miscalculation. He died just two hours after the fall. The ladder he used was not long enough to reach the top of the stack and after his fall, the ladder fell onto him, striking him on the back of the neck, which is what caused the young man’s death.
Mayor J.C. Donnell called for an informal meeting to discuss with businessmen and other Maryville citizens about whether or not to hold a street fair in the fall. The mayor held the meeting to find out the interest level of Maryville’s businessmen in having a street fair. This fair would ultimately impact them because they would be appointed to the committees that would plan and organize the fair.
75 Years Ago: 1951
A member of Maryville’s city council, Harland Farrar, announced his resignation from his position. His reasons included the lack of cooperation from the public and general apathy concerning the problems that faced the city. Mayor Clyde Roberts and Councilman A. L. Barnes noted that Farrar always had Maryville’s best interest at heart and that he had been a pleasure to work with.
Northwest Missouri State College graduated its first group of Air Force men on July 13. Twenty-five men completed clerk-typist training at the college, where they had to undergo exercises tests in order to pass and graduate. Their certificates of completion were presented by Captain Wandrup and college president Dr. J. W. Jones. Five men also received a promotion to the rank of corporal
Popular singer Jackie Donaldson performed alongside a Maryville band in an annual concert on the east side of the courthouse square. Donaldson was previously known for her performance in the Good Will tours during the previous summer. She sang songs like “No Other Love” and “Our Very Own” during the set. As a part of the concert, Reverend Al Edlund played two cornet solos and was accompanied by Rita Zimmerman.
A one-package, prefabricated model home was opened at 531 West Halsey Street in Maryville. The home was built by Clyde Woodruff, Woodruff Heating company, and its construction took only thirty days. It was completed with wiring, plumbing, and heating and was furnished by the Light and Power company and Cummins Furniture Company.
50 Years Ago: 1976
Northwest Missouri State University requested $3,576,000 from the Coordinating Board for Higher Education to make campus improvements. The university planned on using the money for a swimming pool in Martindale, the third phase of the Administration Building remodel, improvements to Lamkin Arena, a farm laboratory, and remodeling the University’s power plant.
Nine rescue technicians and six rescue instructors from Elmo traveled to Kansas City to give a demonstration on the talk show Gabriel’s Horn. The demonstration focused on wall breaching, and the instructors provided commentary for how the rescue concept works in order to create public awareness for this aspect of emergency services.
The Town and Country Saddle Club in Skidmore hosted a horse show. Savannah’s Bob Hughes was the judge for the grand entry. The Saddle Club of Maryville was the largest club represented, other than the host club. 103 horses were entered in total, with winners in Horse Colt, Filly Colt, Pleasure Class, Keyhole Race, Cloverleaf Barrel Race, and Flag Race, among other categories.
Nodaway County was represented in the Lions International Convention in Hawaii as part of the Missouri Lions Band. The band placed fourth in a competition of over 140 bands from across the country. Two sets of twins from the county, Ronnie and Randy Jackson of Maryville and Larry and Gary Davis of Graham, were selected to march in the band
The Mark Buhman Park was dedicated at the Clyde Convent. A group, including Benedictine Sisters, members of the Gilbert Buhman family, and area residents participated in a parade with decorated bicycles, tricycles, wagons, and strollers from Main Street in Clyde to the park. Mayor Norbert Weiderholt dedicated the park to Mark Buhman. The park was completed thanks to contributions from the public and was opened to the public after the dedication.