Jasper Tidbits

City of Jasper Chamber of Commerce

Jasper Tidbits

Following article from the Jasper County News--Thursday, October 11, 1928

Have You Joined Your Chamber of Commerce

The small towns of Missouri are the very life blood of the rural communities surrounding them. It is also true that they in turn must depend upon their adjacent rural territory for sustenance. If these small towns are to prosper as they undoubtedly should there must be organization--a merging of interests--"All for One and One for All," as the Northeast Missouri Chamber of commerce puts it. If there is a mid-summer lethargy attacking community life, if business is in the doldrums, look about and see if something in the way of teamwork and cooperation are not lacking.

Every citizen of the small town should be a member of his local chamber of commerce or whatever the civic unit is called. If he is not, if he does not co-operate to the best of his ability with every progressive movement, he is in the same class with the citizen who fails to register and vote for good schools, good government, good roads and every other worthy cause.

None of us want our home town to deteriorate into a mere swapping place for rural gossip, its sole business taken care of by two filling stations handily located, one for man and one for the flivver.

The active and well-supported chamber of commerce is the voice of your city. It reflects the civic ideals of the community; it expresses the aims of citizenship and reduces the unorganized elements into an organized unit for civic betterment. In short, it should be the stabilizing influence the community sand-box, to keep the town and its rural environs from slipping backward into a most unwelcome oblivion.

Summitted by Jim McCorkle

More Memories of Jasper
By John Hern

As Martha Teeter writes in the tidbits, I remember a very productive town. I've been in good "Ole Jasper" for 50 years. I can remember 2 drugstores, 2 grocery stores, Hurts .05 & dime, Stahl's variety store, Western Auto (where I bought my first bike), Satch's Barber Shop (yes, I used to have hair), Kent's Barber Shop, Charlies Barbershop, MFA Exchange, MFA Station (local teenagers night hang out on the parking lot), Hoppie Halls Tavern and Cabins, Davis Oil, Jim Smiths Texaco, Sinclair, Shorty Zaerr's Station, Clements Frosty Creme (.10 hamburgers after school), Dairy Creme, Judy' Truck Stop, Jasper Truck Stop, Isenman's Implement, MFA Insurance, Grady Campbell Insurance, Bank of Jasper, Selvey's, R.R. Webb (fishing and hunting stuff and lots of stories), Slick (more stories) & Morrices Garage, Parker Stemmons garage, Bemis Blacksmith shop, Jake's Garage, Dr. Magee (sports physical, hearing test was he would get behind you and ask softly, can you hear me?) Dr. Knott, Lumber Yard, TV repair, Chiropractor, Doc Krusekoph DVM and of course the Post Office, where many babies and big bass were weight on the certified scales and where no kid left without a piece of gum. Kenny Hoenschell's back yard ball diamond and so many other great memories of such a little town.

Memories of Downtown

by Martha Teeter Bullard

Remembering Jasper's past fills my mind with pleasure,

When down memories lane I wander with old friends I treasure.

Walking up and down Grand on Saturday night,

Deciding what to do was really quite a plight!

The stores were open until midnight for visiting and shopping;

Stories and news were passed along while stars outside were twinkling.

There was Saltsman Drug for a soda from the fountain--

Candy, or tablets and pencils from Peisen Variety was always certain.

Sometimes there was a movie for a quarter or a dime;

We usually watched a western or some show popular at the time.

At our store, Teeter Bros. Furniture, people gathered for Saturday night radio--The "Grand Old Oprey" was one of the favorites, I know.

Grocery stores, seven in all, were in our busy little town when I was young.,

Going from one to another was lots of fun.

There was Dodds, Todds, Campbells, and Crows on the south side of the street;

On the other side was Harburs, Carters, and Browns for meat.

My mind is filled with joy when in my thoughts I go,

And wander down Grand in those years so long ago.

There was Mr. Rand, the blacksmith, who was busy many years.

Garages, barber and shoe shops, a bakery and the Nunnelly Cafe, my dears.

Webbs for seeds, feed and hardware was here to stay.

It was always interesting for men to gather there and hear what Omer and Roy had to say.

There was Mr. Weiss, the harness maker, with Baynes and Wells near by.

A lumberyard was downtown and many building needs could supply.

Stemmons Produce and Dr. Houser, the vet, were on the main street.

At First National Bank the Weatherlys, G. W. and son, Paul, you would meet.

We had a newspaper for many years called The Jasper County News.

When I was young it was Tom Hardaway who ran the printing crews.

In 1905 came Dr. Knott who served the community for maty a year.

Also, there was Dr. Hendricks, Dr. Woods, the dentist, and Dr. Magee, I remember quite clear.

At the Farmers Exchange the farmers would meet,

When Henry Woodard managed the place and offered them a seat.

From 1933 to '53, John May was postmaster followed by his wife, Anna Mae.

The Isenmanns joined the downtown crew in '38 with Jasper Implement, they say.

What fun to see each smiling face and bid each a fond "hello",

To walk the downtown once again I came to love and know.

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