What’s happened in Springfield in December over the past 200 years?
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – In the span of the last two centuries, Springfield has experienced a remarkable change, evolving from a quaint hamlet into the third-largest city in Missouri. With its roots tracing back to the early 1800s, Springfield's development has been influenced by numerous pivotal events that have left a lasting mark on its history. [...]
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – In the span of the last two centuries, Springfield has experienced a remarkable change, evolving from a quaint hamlet into the third-largest city in Missouri.
With its roots tracing back to the early 1800s, Springfield's development has been influenced by numerous pivotal events that have left a lasting mark on its history.
Here’s a timeline of significant events that have happened in the month of December since 1858:
1858 The contract for a new courthouse was given to Josiah Leedy for $36,000. 1870 The Mansfield Opera House at 313-315 South Street was opened to offer citizens opera. It also housed civic meetings, the Odd Fellow's Lodge and various musical performances. 1902 A prominent black man by the name of Walter Majors designed, built and drove one of the first motorcars in Springfield. It was comprised of a one-and-one-half horsepower stationary gas engine, double chain drive, a buggy-type body and it was painted red. The machine had only one speed--fast forward. To stop the auto, Majors had to jump out and "cut the wheels." 1910 Children's Home in Pickwick Place burned; three children died. 1913 Pythian Castle was built for the Knights of Pythias. During the war, it was part of O'Reilly Army Hospital. 1915 Scores of people were turned away from the Landers Theater at the showing of David Griffin's masterpiece, "The Birth of a Nation". The film was reported to have cost $500,000 to produce and it used 18,000 actors in the cast. 1923 Anna Pavlova, the dancer who enchanted audiences all over the world with her company, delighted a big audience in the Shrine Mosque. Her party of more than 80, including her husband, M. Dandre, technical and artistic director of the Ballet Russe, and other famous ballet personalities, arrived in special cars on the Frisco Wednesday morning. They left immediately after the appearance. 1924 A $40,000 addition to the Springfield Children's Home building will soon be completed and will provide badly needed space. Ed V. Williams, president of the home board, however, points out that the most important thing at the institution is the spirit of "joy and happiness" which he said pervades it. "The children come to the institution unhappy, sick, and lonely," he said, "and within a comparatively short time are cheerful and sound in body." 1924 The contract for excavation for the addition to Burge Hospital was let to Henry Proserpi. The $200,000 addition will be attached to the north side of the present building and will contain 100 rooms for patients, not including special departments. 1926 Thousands of Springfieldians attended the opening of M.E. Gillioz's new $300,000 Gillioz Theater in an event described by the Springfield Republican as "gorgeous, vivid, awe-inspiring, dazzling, sweeping, amazing and bewildering." 1928 Plans for a modern white way to be built on McDaniel St. have been announced by Lester E. Cox, manager of Martin Brothers Piano Co., representing merchants along the street. Several large buildings are going up along the street, now being widened from Campbell to Kimbrough. Merchants will pay around $10,000 for the white way, which then will be maintained by the city. 1928 The Goad-Ballinger Post of the American Legion has accepted the offer of Louis Reps to give the Holland Home on St. Louis St. at Kimbrough for a clubhouse. At one time this was one of the finest homes in Springfield and was built for $50,000. Legion members hope to obtain city-owned property on Kimbrough at the entrance to the Benton Ave. viaduct as a site for their future home. 1928 Rivals in taxicabs operations squared off on Christmas Eve and fought for 18 hours, mostly at the Frisco station and on Main Street. Some fighters used clubs. One person was injured, three arrested. 1933 KWTO goes on the air. 1954 O'Reilly Army Hospital land is divided up among local entities. 1956 Work begins this month on the new stadium at Parkview High School, Kennedy Stadium. 1967 Catholic High School moved from Jefferson Avenue to a new building on U.S. Highway 65. 1972 An F2 tornado touched down near Billings and moved northeast through Republic, western Springfield and northern Greene County. It damaged the airport with winds of 120 mph. One person was killed and 22 injured. More than 200 homes and businesses in Republic were damaged or destroyed. 1983 Temperatures fell below freezing. By Christmas Eve, the morning low was -10° and the official daytime high warmed to a frigid -1°. On Christmas day, high temperatures reached 7°. Temperatures stayed below freezing on New Year’s Eve. 1985 SMSU Bears lose in NCAA football quarter-finals to Stephen Austin. 1986 Kickapoo High School sustained vandalism which amounted to $100,000 1987 An ice storm devastates the city. Many tree limbs and power lines are down. Some power was not restored until after the first of the year. 1989 Fire destroys the old Mo-Pac freight depot. 1989 Bass Pro announced a new warehouse at Kearney and West Bypass but later took over the old Zenith plant instead. 1989 The public school district unveils a new Strategic Plan. The plan had been developed over the past year with a lot of citizen input and committee work. 1989 Auction of Trula Walker items nets over $1 million. The articles had been stockpiled by Trula Walker and her husband who had been convicted of fraud and income tax evasion in connection with the old Campbell 66 truck line. 1989 SMSU Bears lose in NCAA football quarter finals to Stephen Austin. 1989 The new Performing Arts Center is named Juanita Hammons, the wife of John Q. Hammons. He donated the land and $1.6 million. 1989 Anti-abortion protesters are arrested at a clinic on Cherry Street 1989 The wind chill factor hits 60 below zero; the temperature 15 degrees below 1989 Fugitive Timmy Lee DePriest was captured after a downtown foot chase in which Cpl. Larry Robinson suffered a gunshot in the shoulder. 1990 First "First Night Springfield" celebration. 1990 Zenith announces it will layoff 130 workers. It had already laid off 170. 1990 For months residents of southeast Missouri fretted over a prediction that there would be an earthquake on the New Madrid fault this year. In Springfield, the discussion was on how to handle the thousands of refugees who came here. The earthquake never happened. 1990 Air Midwest closes facilities here. 1990 Fire destroys Selsor Lumber. 1991 An ice storm hits the city, 3000 without power. 1991 Two youngsters die in a fire on the northside. 1991 SMSU faculty gives no confidence vote to president Marshall Gordon. 1991 Bass Pro buys the K-Mart shopping center 1991 TeleCable activates first part of a fiber optic network 1991 SMSU Regents find the actual cost of the Performing Arts Hall is hidden. This is the start of the downslide of Marshall Gordon as president. 1991 Two people are wounded in an abortion clinic shooting. The shooting was at the Central Health Clinic. It was closed shortly thereafter. 1994 ORION is up and running. The Ozarks Regional Information Online Network, started by several local organizations, provides people with a communications link to the Internet. 1994 Council approves $9 million in bonds for parks. They will come through the Public Building Corporation. 1994 Heer's closes its final store at Battlefield Mall. This means that a long-time participation in the commerce of the city will disappear. 1994 Sam's Club is robbed of $100,000 2017 Lawsuit between former Springfield Mayor Bob Stephens and Police Union heads toward trial 2019 Greene County Commission has obtained 23 acres of land to build a new jail facility. The land is located at Division and Haseltind Rd east of White Chapel Cemetery and south of the Springfield Branson National Airport.
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