OLD’N NEWS From Around the County
Courthouse News
News Bulletin – 11 March 1830 – Huntsville, MO – Great Neck, Chief Walking Cloud, Brave Snake, Young Knight and One-That-Don’t Care have been arrested on charges of murder. The quickly impaneled grand jury made the following report on 13 March, 1830. "After examining all the witnesses, and maturely considering the charges for which the Iowa Indians are now in confinement, we find them not guilty, and they are at once discharged." Members of this second grand jury included John Dysart, foreman, James Davis, John Owens, David Turner, William Mathis, Thomas Prather, William Kerby, Jacob Epperly, Nicholas Tuttle, Robert Reed, John Gross, James Cooley, John McCully, Dr William Fort, Nathaniel Floyd and David Floyd.
Mt Vernon Cemetery
I had a visit with Kitty Sharp in Clark at the Military Ceremony. She told me that Ronnie and Mary Ann Kimbrough had restored the Mt Vernon Cemetery near Clark. Many thanks are due them for their efforts. Some say that old cemeteries are no longer sacred since no one ever comes to them, etc., but people across the nation come to the History Center and can only find a trace of their family from recorded cemetery records.
They are terribly disappointed when they find that the cemetery where their ancestors are buried has been bulldozed or vandalized. There was a Mt Vernon School near the Cemetery and a Baptist Church. The location of the school is known, but the church location is in doubt. Do you know where it was? Let us know.
HISTORY CENTER NEWS
Our special display for the next month at the history center features the Camp Fire youth organization that was active in Randolph County for over 70 years. Various people have donated Camp Fire articles over the years and Ingrid Jones, a former Camp Fire leader, has designed an outstanding display. The exhibit will open starting Memorial Day and run through the month of June. To get your memory going, Ingrid has prepared the following questions about Camp Fire and a final paragraph.
Do you still remember the words to the Camp Fire Law? Can you sing it? Do you remember what WO-He-Lo stands for? Can you do the hand sign of the fire? Can you still name the Seven Crafts and tell what color the honor beads were? Did you make a ceremonial gown? Did you go to Camp Fire camp? Where did you go? Did you make a sit-upon? Cook on a hobo stove? Bake a "dough-boy" that was actually edible? How long were you a member? What was the name of your group and who was your leader? What was your Camp Fire name – and what did it mean? Do you remember what your symbolgram looked like? What rank did you attain? What was your favorite activity? What was your least favorite? Do you still have your uniform, a scrapbook or any other memorabilia from your Camp Fire days? When did you last look at it?
If you were ever involved in Camp Fire as a youth, a camp counselor, a leader, a board member or in any other capacity – and if the questions above have stirred any fond memories, be sure to visit the Randolph County Historical Society at 223 N Clark in Moberly to see the display of items and pictures that were recently donated to the Society. Even if you were never in Camp Fire you will enjoy coming in and learning something about this organization that was active in Randolph County for over seven decades.
Historical Mural Project
Donations continue to roll in from a variety of sources for the mural that will be painted on the south wall of the History Center in Moberly. The Moberly Middle School art class and their art teacher Norma Crafton will be the primary research and design group. Nationally known muralist, Lowenstein, will be the artist. And you will get a chance to do a little painting on the mural yourself on Saturday, 26 June. That will be community painting day. We’ll be having our annual ice cream social that day, too, so it should be a lot of fun.
General Omar N Bradley Memorial Convoy
People with an interest in World War II had a great day in Randolph County last weekend. On Saturday two organizations, Rail Splitters Re-enactment Group from Columbia and the national organization of Military Vehicle Collectors Society, combined efforts to convoy their various restored military vehicles from Columbia, to Clark (General Bradley’s birthplace), through Moberly (his hometown) and then on to Fayette.
Dorothea Bradley Barton, a cousin to the General, spoke to the crowd at the park in downtown Clark. Her grandfather, Coleman Bradley, was a first cousin of Omar. Clark Community Betterment (Canteen) had coffee and doughnut for the troops. The convoy moved north from Clark to Moberly’s Military Memorial at Rothwell Park, where, they were greeted by Carolee Hazlet. They took group pictures there in front of General Bradley’s statue. The American Legion was next on the itinerary for (mess call) lunch. I made a little talk about the General’s life in Moberly and Randolph County. They then went on to Fayette and had a re-enactment ceremony on the town square.
Wal-Mart Distribution Center Gift
We received a wonderful donation of $500 from Wal-Mart Distribution Center recently. The money will be put in our fund to buy a microfilm reader/printer for the History Center. Thank you, Wal-Mart. By the way, does anyone have an old used one you might want to part with? We would be interested.