I see in the news that not only is the river so low that it’s hampering barge traffic, but now it’s clogged with ice. Wonder if it is any worse than when I shot this December 27, 2000?
Hanover Skating Rink?
I’m going to stick my neck out here and say this was some kind of special even at Hanover Skating Rink. I’m tentative because I don’t remember all those windows. On the other hand, all of my skating was done on Friday nights when it would have been dark outside and the windows wouldn’t have been apparent.
The sleeve says the photos were taken in 1966 but I couldn’t find a story to go with them.
LANDMARK ALERT!
After I hit the PUBLISH button, I noticed that this is the 1000th post I’ve made to the Cape blog. That’s about 987 more than I thought I’d do. I guess I can take a nap now. I guess it’s appropriate to point out that Amazon link at the top left of the page. Think of me when you shop online. There’s a DONATE button, too, but I hate to ask for bucks. Just do your shopping through the link.
OK, It’s not Hanover.
Some folks (see comments) speculated that the rink might have been the Maryann, but Fred Lynch found a Frony photo that eliminated that. Then, he dug some more and found a “mystery photo” that showed Hanover with a tall rounded ceiling in keeping with its Quonset hut past. Click on the links in his comments to see the photos. (You might have to press Ctrl-F5 to refresh your browser to see them)
Other skating stories
- Rollerskating then and now
- Jackson Skating Rink and Principal Wilferth
- Judy Schrader was my skating buddy (but we didn’t do that mushy stuff)
- Remembering my skates and skate case
Hanover photo gallery
Click on any photo to maker it larger, then click on the left or right side of the image to move through the gallery. Let me know if I guessed wrong and this ISN’T Hanover.
Go Fly a Kite
These boys were flying a kite on a windy and chilly day in 1965. This was the era of buzz cuts and rolled-up pants legs. Click on the photos to make them larger.
They got the kites in the air
Looks like the the boys are accomplished kite-flyers. The original photo showed three kites, but the film was so flawed I cropped one of them out.
William Henry and Lilla Luce Harrison House
The William Henry and Lilla Luce Harrison House at 313 Themis Street was built in 1897 by the architect who designed Academic Hall.
You can read the history of the house in the National Register of Historic Places registration form.
A 2003 Missourian story tells how Dr. Robert Hamblin and his wife, Kaye, bought the house in 2003 and set about restoring it., which is why the paper is currently referring to it as the “Hamblin House.”
The story summarized the history: “The mansion once was one of the finest houses in Cape Girardeau. William Harrison, who became known for his timber business and investments, including the H&H Building on Broadway, bought the house in 1990 [that’s a typo, it should be 1890], three years after its completion. It remained in the Harrison family until the mid-1980s, when Mayor Al Spradling III’s family sold it to Dr. Jesse Ramsey. Spradling’s wife, Pam, is a Harrison descendent. The house sat vacant for a few years at the end of the 1990s”.
I’m glad to see this landmark restored. Too bad the university plans to tear down an even older Cape Girardeau landmark at the River Campus.