50 years ago

Dec. 17, 1975

— Church pew project near Washburn

The arrival of new pews for Mt. Zion Baptist Church near Washburn will complete construction of the new church building on Highway 37, with hopes of holding services by Christmas.

— Wildcat JVs undefeated, 

varsity split

Cassville’s junior varsity ran its record to 4-0 while the varsity split two games, losing to Nevada and defeating Anderson. JV scoring was led by Steve Vaughan and John Cowherd, while varsity leaders included Jeff Carr and Mike Morris.

— IN KOREA

Staff Sgt. Wayman L. Murphy of Purdy was cited for outstanding performance at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea.

— Barry County courtroom funding

The Barry County Circuit Court approved renovation plans totaling $48,000 with state and federal funding assistance to improve courtroom space and conditions.

— HUD projects bid call set

Bid dates were announced for HUD-funded projects in Purdy and Monett, with additional projects planned in Cassville, Exeter, Wheaton and Seligman.

40 years ago

Dec. 18, 1985

— FDIC Closed Exeter Bank, Reopened By New Owners

Farmers State Bank of Barry County was closed Friday, Dec. 13, by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for “ineffective management.” Federal authorities awarded a charter to Security Bank of Southwest Missouri, which reopened Saturday. Gary Acker of the Crane community was named to head the new operation, appointing Kenneth Wyatt as chief executive officer. The closing ended months of speculation involving financial reverses of H. Robert Laughrey. State officials cited loan problems, lack of a chief executive officer and lack of a blanket bond. Security Bank assumed about $4 million in deposits across 2,500 accounts and agreed to pay the FDIC a premium of $75,312.40.

30 years ago

Dec. 13, 1995

— Charley Baker retires as caretaker of the courthouse

Charley Baker’s hands have touched every square inch of the Barry County Courthouse. For the past 18 years, he has stripped paint, refinished woodwork, polished door knobs and buffed the floors of the county’s 82-year-old seat of justice. This week, Charley will retire from his position as county maintenance supervisor. A reception will be held in his honor on Thursday at the courthouse from 1 to 3 p.m. Friends and family will have an opportunity to honor Charley for his hard work and dedication. They will also have a chance to view courthouse renovations completed under his supervision. Since Charley began working at the courthouse, he has been a man with a mission. He has toiled long hours to restore the courthouse to its original glory. Over the years, Charley has “practically redone” the entire interior of the courthouse. His greatest challenge was uncovering the cherry trim, railings, banisters and doors, which now shine because of his efforts. When Charley arrived on the scene, the entire interior of the courthouse had been spray painted a pale shade of green. It took him years to strip off the layers of paint and restore the woodwork to its natural russet beauty. In addition to stripping and re-staining 70 doors, Charley also refinished all the brass knobs and hardware. He has also repaired and refinished most of the furniture in the courthouse. “I had a vision of what I wanted to do here,” Charley said. “It was a challenge, and now I feel like I completed my mission.” Charley’s assignment began in 1977, when his hobby of restoring old homes and furniture caught the attention of county commissioners Dick Sanders, Lige Frost and Nolan McNeill. They went to Charley and asked him if he could “start cleaning the place up.” Charley agreed and began working at the courthouse part-time while still running his accounting business, Baker Bookkeeping. In 1982, Charley retired from accounting and returned to repairing and renovating the courthouse full time. Charley is most proud of the circuit courtroom. He refinished the jury chairs, the railings, the large table in the front and the backdrop that hangs behind the judge’s bench. “I’m real proud of this room,” Charley said. During his tenure, Charley has uncovered a lot of history. He has tried to salvage each new find and place it in one of two large display cases he restored on the courthouse’s second floor. Each case contains old fixtures, door knobs, office equipment, newspaper clippings, bottles and other items of historical interest discovered in the courthouse by Charley. “I’ve pretty well kept up with the history,” Charley said. One of Charley’s preservation projects included restoring a table and chair, circa 1883, which were salvaged from the original courthouse built in 1856. According to local historians, Civil War documents were signed on this table, now displayed in the courthouse. Charley also has overseen all the major renovation projects completed at the courthouse. He said he will continue to work with the county commission on an advisory basis for future projects. His co-workers at the courthouse are sad to see him retire. “I don’t know what we’re going to do without him,” said Misha Hull, county collector. “He’d do anything we needed done.” Circuit Clerk Dick Sanders also appreciated Charley’s hard work. “We’ve had people from all over the country comment on how nice our courthouse looks,” Sanders said. “Charley turned things around and shaped the courthouse up.” Even the Christmas tree, which now sits proudly in the middle of the courthouse’s two-story foyer, is Charley’s creation. He built it from plywood and the branches of 25 artificial Christmas trees. “The county has spent a lot of time and money to get the courthouse to this point,” Charley said. “The people of the county ought to be proud of this place. I hope they will maintain it.” Postscript: Charley is leaving the courthouse in good hands. He has been training a man to take his place for the past three months. Beginning next week, John Stakley will become the new caretaker of the courthouse.

— City council adopts 1996 budget totaling $1.9 million

Cassville aldermen adopted a $1,929,830 operating budget at their Monday meeting, following a hearing with only two reporters in attendance. No one from the general public was present. The 1996 budget, which predicts $1,963,930 in revenues, is $250,000 higher than last year’s revised budget. Thirty-two percent of the operating budget ($352,758) has been designated for the police department, and 20.3 percent ($223,735) will go into the general operating fund. The city has allocated another 21 percent of the budget ($230,955) for street improvements. Other expenditures listed in the budget by department for the general operating fund are: municipal court, $42,334; fire, $31,817; code enforcement, $34,434; parks and recreation, $147,892; and municipal airport, $5,755. Expenditures budgeted for the water and sewer departments are $472,624 and $385,026 respectively. Only $2,500 has been allocated for economic development. Major capital projects laid out in this year’s budget are listed by department. Water department: chlorination system, $58,500; water main replacement, $45,000; water tower renovation of two older tanks, $45,000; and light duty pickup, $10,500. Sewer department: liquid waste disposal truck, $75,000; and inflow/infiltration and lagoon sludge disposal, $80,000. The water and sewer departments also will share the cost of a $32,000 dump truck. Police department: police cruiser, $17,500. Code enforcement: light pickup, $10,500. Parks and recreation: greenway trail development, $74,000; and park development, $10,000. Streets targeted for improvement this year are Eighth Street from Gravel to Sky, High Street, Sky Street, Oak Street and Mountain Street, and 13th Street from Vine to the whistle near the bridge. These streets will be completely reconstructed and widened. Administrator Greg Beavers said increases in city employee salaries reflect a 2.5 percent cost of living allowance. In other business, the council approved a bid of $6,357.31 from Tap-Jac to construct a gazebo in the city’s newest park; annexed property owned by Johnny Eggleston; paid bills totaling $33,546.34; and discussed codification of the city’s code book and ordinances.