Photos around Cape Archives

April 13, 2015

Masonic Lodge / Keys Music

When I started down the Broadway hill on my way to Broussard’s for a take-out order, the Rust & Martin sign atop the brick building at the corner of Broadway and Spanish stood out.

On the left is the old First Baptist Church / General Baptist Church. I photographed the steeple being painted in 1967.

Cornerstone laid in 1891

An Old Town Cape plaque says “One November 5, 1891, the cornerstone was laid for the Masonic Temple and on June 24, 1892, the dedication ceremony was held. The builders were C. Lindemann & Son of Cape Girardeau. Kirchner & Kirchner of St. Louis were the architects. In 1970, the Masons sold the bulding to Vida Keys. It remained the Keys Music Store until 2001. It is a contributing building in the National Register Historic District.”

The Masons built a new building on land near Broadway and Kingshighway that had originally been donated to be Doggett Park.

A long time coming

I’ve been watching the renovation work for several years. It’s nice to see a landmark building preserved.

It’s in good company. The nicely-restored Kage House, built between 1860 and 1870, is right across the street from it.

April 11, 2015

Seedy Picture of a Dandelion

I walked around Mother’s house to check for any damage from Thursday night’s storms (we heard a roar that almost drove us to the basement). We had a few dead limbs down, but nothing really worth hauling out the chain saw for. I mentioned a couple days ago that things were greening, purpling, yellowing and reddening all over the place.

What I did NOT expect to see was a patch of dandelions already going to seed. (Click on the photo to make it larger.)

I know that it’s a sign of disgrace to have dandelions in your yard, but I’ve always had a soft spot for this colorful little weed.

April 10, 2015

‘I’m Having a Heart Attack!’

I’m pretty sure the American Ice Cream Drive-In on the left as you come into Jackson was once a Dairy Queen. It wasn’t one of my haunts. (I was more a Wib’s guy.)

You know how certain family stories grow up to be family legends over the years. I wasn’t along the night that Dad and the rest of the family stopped in for what must have been a new product. I don’t know the official name of the frozen beverage they were served. Today it would be known at 7-11 as a Slurpee and other places as a Slushee.

Much like people didn’t really know how to eat pizza at first and ended up with burned mouths, Dad apparently didn’t know how to drink his frozen concoction. It was so cooling, so refreshing, so good-tasting, that he must have sucked it down in big gulps.

Sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia strikes

When the resulting brain freeze hit him, he told the family that he thought was having a heart attack. Fortunately, the condition didn’t last long and all he suffered was embarrassment.

Sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia, by the way, is the scientific name for “ice cream headache,” a term that has been in use since at least January 31, 1937. Much to my surprise, the first published reference to “brain freeze” was on May 27, 1991. I could have sworn I heard the phrase used long before that.

April 9, 2015

Dog and Suds

I get lots of requests for info and photos of Wimpy’s, Pfister’s, A&W Root Beer and, less frequently, Dog and Suds. The first three are long gone, but I had a nagging suspicion that the green building at 605 North Kingshighway, just south of the entrance to Arena Park, might be the latter.

While Mother and I were rambling about, I said, “I’m going to pull in, shoot first, then ask questions later.” And, I did.

Walking in the door, I told a guy that his hair didn’t look gray enough to know the answer on his own, but that he might have heard from someone else if this building had once been the Dog and Suds. He confirmed it had been. (By the way, The Missourian spelled it as Dog and Suds, not “Dog ‘n’ Suds,” the way I thought of it.

Lots of different things

That building had been used for lots of different things.

April 29, 1958 – Preston Sign Co. to erect and install an electric noncombustible advertising sign at 605 North Kingshighway. Size, 7 feet by 8 feet and declared cost, $700.
January 17, 1964 – Advertisement: Mr. and Mrs. Virgil Harrington have purchased and taken over the management of The Gas Lite Drive-in. We will feature Pit Barbecue and Frog Legs, and serve the choicest of foods. 10:00 A.M. to Midnight; 10 A.M. to 2:00 A,M. (on weekends).
October 4, 1969 – D. and D. Plumbers have leased and moved into a building at 605 North Kingshighway. The firm [is] owned by David Franklin… The new location was leased from Barney Zimmerman, and until recently was used to house a restaurant.
1979 City Directory – The Flower Shoppe
April 8, 2015 – Car Title Loans