OLD’N NEWS From Around the County

Allen, Randolph County, MO no longer exists as a town. It is now a part of Moberly. But it was here long before Moberly. It was located near McDonald’s on North Morley. The North Missouri depot was probably near the Sheltered Workshop on Sparks Avenue. Sparks Avenue is thought to be part of the original route of the stage coach line that ran from Hannibal to Glasgow. Allen was important during the Civil War due to its location on the North Missouri railroad, which went from St Louis to Macon. I am not an expert on the Civil War and nor am I a historian. But, I did come up with a story about the skirmish between Union troops and the Confederate guerillas that were operating in Randolph County at the time. One of my sources was from the official records of the US Department of War.

On July 23, 1864, Captain George Smith telegraphed General Rosencrans that about 40 gurerillas had gone to Renick "robbing the stores, starting fire to the depot and tearing down telegraph lines". Later that day the US Military Telegraph Operator at Allen, Charles E Dwyer, sent, in part, the following message to the general, "About 40 soldiers here, under command of Lt Knapp, were attacked today about 12 o’clock by about 65 guerillas under Bill Anderson…..Lt Knapp had about 20 horses killed and captured and 1 man was wounded. We have found one disabled bushwhacker and they…carried away 8 more." The telegrapher then requests permission to leave his post unless reinforcements are sent.

Those were violent times in Randolph County and Allen, now a part of Moberly, was a part of it. The Bill Anderson referred to in the above communiqué was a well known guerilla from Randolph County during the war.

The Good Old Days

I got an e-mail from someone the other day that had an interesting list of items about the ‘good old days’ of 100 years ago. For instance, in 1903:

     Average life expectancy was 47 years.
     Fourteen percent of homes had a bathtub.
     Eight percent of homes had a telephone.
     A long distance phone call from Denver to NY City cost $11.00.
         (And that was 1903 money)
     There were only 8,000 cars in the US and only 144 miles of paved roads.
     The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
     Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated
         than California.
     With a mere 1.4 million residents, California was only the 21st most

         populous state in the Union.
     The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
     A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500

         per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000.
     More than 95 percent of all births in the US took place at home.
     Sugar cost four cents a pound.
     Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
     Coffee cost fifteen cents a pound.
     The population of Las Vegas, Nevada was 30.
     Canned beer, and iced tea hadn’t been invented.
     One in ten US adults couldn’t read or write.
     Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
     Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at corner

         drugstores. According to one pharmacist, "Heroin clears the complexion,

         gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and the bowels, and is,

         in fact, a perfect guardian of health."
     There were only about 230 reported murders in the entire US.

Just think what it will be like in another 100 years.

Fourth Street Theater Restoration Project

Over a hundred people had a good time eating popcorn and watching old movies Sunday, a week ago. Project Director, Carolee Hazlet, had a fine selection of old classics for us to watch. Gene Autry was playing in one room and the other room saw Donald Duck, Betty Boop and some others. Two people donated $350 to have their name on a star in the sidewalk and one person donated $250 to sponsor one of the theater seats. Restoration of the theater is the largest project ever under taken by the Randolph County Historical Society and we can use your help. Donations can be sent to the Historical Society at 223 N Clark, Moberly, MO.

Brown Shoe Factory Whistle on Display

J W Ballinger will be showing two of his steam whistles at the December 1 meeting at the Historical Center. One is the old Brown Shoe Co whistle and the other is the Round House whistle that was used in the Kansas City Wabash yards. The feature for the evening is a video on the history of the Wabash railroad company. It’s free and open to all.