Tales from Days Gone By

Dr. Bill Eddleman · krcu.org

Behind the big themes, celebrated figures, and dry dates of history are the interesting stories of life in the past and ordinary people. Southeast Missouri has a varied and rich history that you often don’t hear about in history classes. Join Bill Eddleman of the State Historical Society of Missouri to hear about these stories with “Tales from Days Gone By.”

20 episodes

18d ago latest

fortnightly cadence

English language

▶ Play latestRSS feed Website History

https://www.krcu.org/podcast/tales-from-days-gone-by/rss.xml

Episodes 20

Tragedy on Big Prairie: The Murder of David Trotter
4d ago · 3:49
The most tragic event of the time before the Louisiana Purchase in the southern part of Spanish Upper Louisiana was the murder of David Trotter.
The Tale of Peter Renfrow: Hiding from the Law in an Ozark Cave
18d ago · 3:55
An overturned grave marker in Welch Cemetery near Summersville in Shannon County memorializes Peter Renfrow, whose life was profoundly altered by his crime and its aftermath.
Behind the Legends – Eyewitness Accounts of the Round Pond Incident
1mo ago · 3:46
The story of one of the most notorious events occurring near Cape Girardeau during the Civil War began in St. Louis in the early summer of 1863.
George Morgan’s Grand Scheme – The Founding of New Madrid
1mo ago · 3:58
Two major European allies assisted the fight for American Independence: France and Spain. One of the consequences of the alliance with Spain was a more favorable view of Americans by the Spanish authorities in Louisiana.
A Stray Ox Leads to a Tragedy in Lowndes
2mo ago · 3:47
July 27, 1871, proved to be a tragic day in the small Wayne County community of Lowndes.
“On the Verge of a Big Boom” - The Ardeola Coal Mine
2mo ago · 3:42
The lure of riches has given rise to many historical events. Sometimes the promised boom happens, but often the lure leads to overly optimistic visions. One such event occurred in the late 1880s in Stoddard County.
The Sainte Genevieve Militia at the Battle of St. Louis
3mo ago · 4:11
Reflecting on the upcoming 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution, it seems unlikely that southeastern Missouri had any role. However, hostilities did directly affect those who lived in Ste. Genevieve.
Richard E. Buehler: Russian Immigrant, Wayne County Public Servant
3mo ago · 3:58
One of the most influential of Wayne County’s public servants in the late 19th Century was a Russian immigrant who came to the U.S. with his father in 1849.
“Strip Forty Miles Long is Laid Waste”: The Disastrous Tornados of May 30, 1917
4mo ago · 4:11
The period from May 25 through June 1, 1917, was one of the worst severe weather weeks in the history of southern Missouri. During that time, three low pressure systems in succession formed on the Plains and swept through the southern Midwest and upper South.
The Amazing Career of Dr. Drake McDowell – New Madrid Physician
4mo ago · 3:54
Perhaps no physician who practiced in southeast Missouri in the 19th century had as varied a career as Dr. Drake McDowell. Drake, or Isaac, McDowell was eldest son of Dr. Joseph Nash McDowell of St. Louis. He was born in Cincinnati in 1831 and came to St. Louis in 1840 with the family.
From Punjaub to Lawrenceton – A Community Changes its Name
5mo ago · 4:04
The present-day community of Lawrenceton is about 15 miles west of Ste. Genevieve. It is unincorporated, but in its heyday, it had a post office between 1867 and 1941. The initial town, Punjaub, officially changed to Lawrenceton in 1877. So how did an Ozark border community receive the name of a region in India, then later become Lawrenceton?
Through the Slip of a Pen: The Ordeal of Moses Pendergrass
5mo ago · 3:54
The wheels of justice operate in most cases—but often slowly. A tale from St. Francois County illustrates exactly how slowly.
All Covered with Heavy Timber: The Vanished Forest of the Southeast Lowlands
6mo ago · 3:59
In 1869, the lawyer and future railroad entrepreneur and historian Louis Houck rode the court circuit to Kennett with other lawyers and court officials. Upon reaching a point south of Bloomfield, as he later wrote, “I sat down on a hillside on the left of where Dexter now stands, looking over a vast forest of timber on all sides, greatly impressed; not a single farm in sight or opening in the vast woods except at the foot of the hill, an open place known as Miller’s Farm. Going south for miles we traveled along the edge of what was known as the East Swamp, all covered with heavy timber.”
When the Bubble Burst: The Panic of 1837 in Eastern Missouri
6mo ago · 3:59
Economic conditions boomed in Missouri and the country in 1835. The cotton market and prices increased throughout the South, resulting in increased land purchases and growing demand for enslaved workers. Across the Lead Belt of southeast Missouri, rising lead production and increased demand for furs fueled the boom conditions.
William A. Bacon’s Service in Southeast Missouri and on the Plains
7mo ago · 3:59
On a summer’s day in July 1926, a reporter for the Cape Girardeau Southeast Missourian noticed an old man sitting in Courthouse Park across the street from the newspaper. The reporter greeted the man, who introduced himself as William A. Bacon, a Union Civil War veteran who had just celebrated his 80th birthday.
"A Place Where People Are Uplifted Spiritually" — The Tale of Epworth Among the Hills
7mo ago · 3:58
The area around Arcadia in Iron County first became known to many young people of the mid and late 20th Century as a place to go to summer camp. Many of these camps were church camps and remain, although they are not as popular as they once were.
A Merry Christmas in 1872: Reports from Southeast Missouri Towns
8mo ago · 3:58
Not that long ago, a frequent practice of local newspapers was to have a representative of communities in their circulation area report on happenings in those smaller towns. Some of the reports give valuable insight into local history, while others border on gossip.
Pilot Training in the Bootheel: The Malden Army Airfield
8mo ago · 3:59
When the U. S. declared war on Japan and Germany at the end of 1941, mobilization of the armed forces began immediately. An acute need for fighter pilots required that training had to begin as soon as possible. The War Department acquired several new sites for airfields, including 2900-acre site four miles north of Malden in Dunklin County.
Nearly 100 Years of Brewing in Old Appleton
9mo ago · 4:12
One of the longest-running local breweries in southeast Missouri, Old Appleton Brewery, started with a German immigrant, Caspar Ludwig.
St. Francois County’s Oldest Settlement: Big River Mills
9mo ago · 3:57
One of the first American settlements in the Ste. Genevieve District was at a cluster of land grants on the west side of Rivere Grande, or Big River, in present-day St. Francois County.