Month: July 2009

Historic Hannibal site needs to be saved

Posted by apierceall – July 31, 2009

Word spread very quickly Friday about the planned sale of at least some of the contents of Rockcliffe mansion.

The mansion at 1000 Bird was built at the turn of the century by lumber baron J.J. Cruikshank, and for the last 40 years it’s been a gem of an historic site for Hannibal. The mansion has apparently been on the market for months. Price tag? $1.5 million on the Rockcliffe Web site; $999,000 on another realty Web site.

Most folks talking about the situation had no qualms about the sale of the mansion itself. It was the bits and pieces of history inside that got attention.

The private sale of items from the mansion is set in Clayton Saturday and Sunday by antique dealer Finches by Robinson, LTD, and is expected to feature everything from antique lace, quilts, and dolls to clothing, furniture and Limoges porcelain.

This is Hannibal history for sale because it’s likely many of the items belonged to the Cruikshank family.

Former Hannibal tourism director Faye Bleigh was saddened when she heard the news by e-mail Friday. She said the house would not be the same without the antiques.

“That’s what made the house so interesting,” she said. “It gave it more character.”

The items breathed life into a home that had not been lived in since the Cruikshanks left after the death of J.J. Cruikshank in the 1920s. It was resurrected as a tourist site after being rescued by a small group of concerned local residents in the 1960s.

Three local families (Dr. and Mrs. Merrill Roller, Mr. and Mrs. Delbert Hartley and Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Raible) formed a corporation in 1967 to buy the home — just days before it was to be torn down.

More than one person talking about the sale of the mansion and its content expressed hope Friday that a local buyer or group would step into the fray once again and save the structure.

Perfect summer evenings and baseball

Posted by apierceall – July 28, 2009

I finally got the chance to go to my first Hannibal Cavemen game Saturday night.

I know. I know. The season is just two weeks from being over. What can I say? Being a single mom makes for a fairly busy life. Regardless, I finally made it thanks to an invite from long-time pal and former Herald-Whig writer Brien Murphy, who loves baseball.

It was probably the one of the best evenings of the summer.

The park is quite simply beautiful, and the weather … sublime. The Cavemen fans were full of enthusiasm. Of course, beating the Quincy Gems 7-2 and getting the embattled paddle back helped goose that fervor up a bit. The fact that the Cavemen played a great game, with three triples — two of them in one inning alone — over the course of nine innings was fun to see, too.

A Hard Working Group

Posted by apierceall – July 17, 2009

Kudos go out to the Hannibal School Board, which was one of only 10 school boards inthe state to be awarded the Missouri School Boards’ Association’s 2009 Education Leadership Team Award.
The Hannibal School Board is comprised of Henry Sweets, David Jackson, Jim Humphries, Sherre Mobley, Mark Bross, Eric Gottman and Michael Holliday.
Also included in the list are Bolivar R-I, Grain Valley R-V, Maplewood-Richmond Heights, Raytown C-2, Branson R-IV, Nixa R-II, Gasconade Co. R-I, Lee’s Summit R-VII, and Northwest R-I. There are about 390 school boards that are part of the MSBA out of 523 districts statewide.
This was no easy recognition to earn. To make the cut:
• All seven school board members in each awarded district have completed the required 16 hours of training from MSBA.
• At least two board members in each awarded district have attained the advanced level of certification from MSBA.
• At least one board member in each awarded district has attained the Master’s level of certification, MSBA’s highest certification distinction.
• Representatives from each awarded district attended MSBA’s 2008 Annual Conference.
• Representatives from each awarded district attended either MSBA’s 2009 Spring Regional or 2008 Fall Regional meetings.
• Representatives from each awarded district attended MSBA’s 2009 Legislative Forum in Jefferson City.
• Each awarded district had representative participation in MSBA’s Delegate Assembly.
• Each awarded district participates in MSBA’s Policy Services and has conducted a policy review in the last year.

It’s nice to know when we’re making a difference

Posted by apierceall – July 10, 2009

Every once in a while , we get a thank you for a story we’ve done, and I can’t say how much those notes are appreciated.

I received a note on Thursday from Maxine Wolfmeyer, one of the LaGrange ladies who make quilts for the needy. In the story was a plea for the material the women use — double knit polyester. It’s hard to find these days, but the material makes wonderfully durable quilts.

According to Mrs. Wolfmeyer, they’ve gotten four calls about supplies of the material since the story about their quilt-making efforts ran in Tuesday’s edition.

Here’s some thanks of my own to those folks who’ve made the effort to call Mrs. Wolfmeyer — and a challenge. Surely, there’s more double-knit out there. The challenge is for folks to check their closets and basements for the stuff. Since it’s seldom popular wear any more, it shouldn’t be a hardship to give it up for a good cause.

Anyone interested in donating double-knit polyester material for the Ladies Aid quilt project should contact Wolfmeyer at (573) 655-8872 or the church office at (573) 655-4416.

What a neat summer program

Posted by apierceall – July 9, 2009

The Hannibal Parks and Recreation Department’s Summer Playground program appears to be an awesome opportunity for local kids and their parents.

Summer playground opened July 6 at Eugene Field Elementary School, and my daughter has attended at least a portion of each of the three days. The activities are well organized and well monitored. The kids ages 5-12 are kept busy and entertained from 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

The fact that they can attend all or part of the day — and do so free of charge — is a wonderful service for the children and for their working parents, especially in what is a difficult time economically for so many.

Kudos to the parks department and the city of Hannibal for such a positive program.