Old Stories about Moberly and area

[Missouri Man]

I will try to post a new story about Moberly area every week! I'll share stories told to me by my grandfathers too. This story was told to me by my father. Up behind the Meyers Transmission shop, there used to be a blacksmiths shop. The man there got drunk one day and drove home in his car. I figured it up to be around 5 miles or so. He drove home at a very fast rate of speed, forgettting that he had tied his horse to the back of his car! Needless to say the horse couldn't keep up! He dragged a dead horse home.

[Gotta Say]

Missouri Man wrote:

I will try to post a new story about Moberly area every week! I'll share stories told to me by my grandfathers too. This story was told to me by my father. Up behind the Meyers Transmission shop, there used to be a blacksmiths shop. The man there got drunk one day and drove home in his car. I figured it up to be around 5 miles or so. He drove home at a very fast rate of speed, forgettting that he had tied his horse to the back of his car! Needless to say the horse couldn't keep up! He dragged a dead horse home.

Where's the weekly story?

[Gotta Say]

I mean for this week...

[Missouri Man]

Ok here it is. My grandfather had to dig a grave out at Oakland. Low and behold they found 2 bodies buried in the spot (unmarked) where he was diging. Heres another one.My grandfather was up at the bar drinking and the chief of police came and got him. He needed help. There was a black who killed someone, and he was hiding in the colored whore house (corner of S. Ault and Rollings). They went to the door and demaned the man be brought out! The man who ran ran it threw the man out the door for them. I have lots of stories. Glad you enjoy them., reason I didnt repost, I thought no body liked them?

[Gotta Say]

Well, I didn't reply to your first story because I wasn't sure exactly HOW to respond to that one. And regarding your second one... I'm confused on who they threw out the door? Was it the man they wanted or someone else? And were there two bodies in an unmarked grave or two bodies in one marked grave?

[Missouri Man]

Oh it was the wanted man for murder. The 2 bodies were buried in an unmarked grave. They wasnt suppose to be there.

[Gotta Say]

Oooohhhh. I seeeee.

[Missouri Man]

My gf and dad have told me lots of stories about Moberly and ect!

[Harry Dangler]

I remember that old section at the corner of Ault and Rollins. Big old red shingled house. Catty corner from that where the Bank of Cairo now sits was another black section.

The old underpass was tunnel like, different from the way it is now. Made of concrete but looked like brown stucco from the years of dirt and pollution. It had a sign commanding drivers entering it from the East to sound their horns to alert the cars coming South down the hill on Sturgeon from the depot.

Anyway, the underpass made for some good echos, and when you drove through it, kids would go WHOOOOO out the windows to get that nice sound effect. It was a simpler time, obviously.

Moberly had several Black sections of town before the Projects were built in the mid 60's. The main one was West End Street, with it's proximity to the railroad tracks and downtown. One was around Bedford Street near Central School, one was near South Park school, one was near East Park School by the railroad tracks, one was at the South end of Ault Street where McGraw Edison was.

When I was a kid, I lived on the hill where Kingdom Auto (if that's still the name of it) sits. Morley Street was only two lanes then, and five or six houses sat there. The hill was much steeper then, just like the West side of the street is now. When they widened Morley Street in the late 60's the state 'eminent domained' the entire block, prompting us all to move. Most of the houses were torn down. My house was picked up and moved, and it to this day it sits over on Porter Street somewhere.

Rollins Street was a small two lane street that dead ended at the cemetery. The traffic was nothing like it is today. The whole street from Morley/Rollins to the cemetery was full of kids playing, with cars driving slowly. Nothing like it is now, with the tiny little front yards.

It was a great place and time to be a little kid.

EE was East Logan Street. It started at the old Safeway, and it had an 'S' curve right before Cater Funeral home, where it now intersects with Meadowbrook Drive, and continued on the same path as today, but was only two lanes. Meadowbrook was nothing but farmland.

This trip down memory lane was sponsored by Wine Dip Grape Soda. Pick it up at your favorite Temple Stevens location. You'll be glad you did.

[Missouri Man]

Yes, and your last mane starts with an H? Right? Because the Wine Dip was made over where the porno shop is, well next door!

[Harry Dangler]

Missouri Man wrote:

Yes, and your last mane starts with an H? Right? Because the Wine Dip was made over where the porno shop is, well next door!

Nope. No H. Now I'm trying to figure out who you're talking about.

Yes, the bottling plant was right next door to where the porn shop is.

And of course, you doubtless remember the porn shop being the JerryDon laundromat, owned by Jerry and Don Orscheln in their salad days, before the old man died. There were a few JerryDon laundromats around town.

Let's not forget Glen Reamy's Shell station across the street. It was a small place that expanded when Morley widened. And the DX station across the street from the bottling plant and laundromat.

[Harry Dangler]

And Lula's, which now is an institution, was only the second or third most popular bar ON THAT BLOCK.

Hickman's Tavern was the joint. Lula's was a tiny place where it was rare to have more than a half dozen patrons at any given time.

The St. Pius kids discovered Lula about 25 years ago as a place where they could trick an old lady into believing they were 21. The rest, as they say, is history.

[Missouri Man]

Maybe the house is still there? They had 3 boys and 2 girls. They are 54-46 now. I was born and raised on the North side, I went to north park school.

[Missouri Man]

remember the old black man who lived where the bank of cario and Moberly is? Forrest?

[Harry Dangler]

Missouri Man wrote:

remember the old black man who lived where the bank of cario and Moberly is? Forrest?

Might have been Forrest "Pappy" Wilson. Worked for the Sanitation Department for years.

On the other corner that you had referred to lived a man named Bill Arthur, who used to bootleg booze in the old days. In his later years he worked for Danny Bain at the pool hall, where he ran the shoeshine stand and racked tables. He often ran the pool hall when Bain wasn't around.

His sister Carrie is Richie Payne's Mom. Good lady.

[Missouri Man]

Pappy was the frist man to drive a car in Moberly. He lived to be old. Didnt he live past 95? he worked for the produce place just off coats street. Big O building now. Dont know Richie and Bugs mother. I do know Ocar evey well. You know Ocar? Those Tolson girl are very good women. They always liked me. I was sick once, and one of them come up and gave me a hug. They told my gf, never seen a black woman hug him? LOL I laughed so hard, I had to quit laughing, I just got sewed up inside and out! After 3 months in the Hospital. She works at Mickey Dees now! The other one is still at the Big O. Growing up on the north side was good living. I know all of the Harris's, Robinsons, Williams. All good people!

[Papa Chubby]

Harry Dangler wrote:

Moberly had several Black sections of town before the Projects were built in the mid 60's. The main one was West End Street, with it's proximity to the railroad tracks and downtown. One was around Bedford Street near Central School, one was near South Park school, one was near East Park School by the railroad tracks, one was at the South end of Ault Street where McGraw Edison was.

I wouldn't call that sections. i would call that the whole town! LOL

[still here in mob-town]

does anyone remember the old colored man named caskey? drove a
black truck with plastic flowers on it.

[Richard Hertz]

still here in mob-town wrote:

does anyone remember the old colored man named caskey? drove a
black truck with plastic flowers on it.

Yep. Caskey Burgess. Or Caskie. Or Casky. One or the other.

Never saw that truck go faster than 15.

[still here in mob-town]

he used to stop by my gp house and gas station on 24 west Skelly service
i don't know what he sold or had to talk about but gp sure liked him
was always friendly