Our Yesterdays

Maurice Gould has made a very nice improvement to his furniture store on the west side of the square. New plate glass windows have been installed on both fronts of his stores as well as new doors installed. Other improvements have included new forced air heating system and other minor remodeling work.

More than 65 water meters have been installed by users of the new town water system. It is expected that this number will be more than doubled in the next six to eight months.

Claude “Hob” Thompson, formerly of Richland, no of Keota, has been sentenced to a three month jail term at Sigourney. He was arraigned by County Attorney Leo Martin for passing a worthless check of $10. He is serving his term in the Keokuk County jail.

March 24 is the long awaited day when Richland phone users of the Iowa-Illinois system will be converted to the dial system. At present the dial switchboard is fully installed and the men are at present in the process of testing the board which takes from two to two and a half weeks. This work includes testing and adjusting following the actual installation, but prior to the board going into actual services.

1943 … 80 years ago

John McClure, who has operated the pool hall here for his father, Harry McClure, who has had the business leased for the past two years, has quit and Charles Wells, who owns the building and equipment, has taken it over. John started work recently on the section for the Milwaukee Railroad.

George Talley has purchased from Elza Fitch the residence property occupied by Mrs. L.J. Trigg and family who will move to the Friends parsonage. Duane Talley has bought the house where George Talley now lives.

It has been forty years ago that W.D. Nordyke bought and shipped his first load of hogs. Forty years is a long time and there have been many changes over that period. Mr. Nordyke recalled that when he bought his first load hogs were then five cents a pound. This week they were as high as $15.10 per cwt. Back in the early 30s, Mr. Nordyke said, top pork on the hoof went as low as $2.40. Packers went a great deal lower than that ‘80 cents per 100’ which meant that the full price of a packer wouldn’t, at that time, pay the cost of hiring a truck to pick it up at the farm. It’s different now because last week he handled some choice packers that weighed out around $85. Mr. Nordyke’s son, Aaron, is now a partner in the business which is operated under the firm name of W.D. Nordyke & Son.

B.H. Paxson, who has been Superintendent of the Martinsburg High School for the past four years, has been elected to the same position of the Brighton High School.