Stories from the past
114 YEARS AGO McIntosh County Democrat Friday, June 3, 1910
SPLENDID MOVE
At the close of the memorial day exercise last Sunday the Woodmen camps of the city held a sort of love feast at Oddfellows hall and among other matters discussed the condition of Checotah’s silent city of the dead was given more than a passing thought. One speaker voiced the sentiment of the entire gathering when he made the statement that Checotah had outgrown the old burying ground and that there was a crying demand for more territory or a new cemetery.
Death of Child
Death entered the home of Mr. and Mrs. J.C. Light at 3 o’clock Monday afternoon and robbed them of little Ella Ruth, their only daughter.
Death the Victor
At the home of his parents at 6 o’clock Tuesday morning following an illness of about two weeks, occurred the death of Joseph Weldon, youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. W. R. Richardson, and deep gloom broods over that household. For several days the little fellow had been in a serious condition.
Short funeral services were held at the home yesterday.
••••• 100 YEARS AGO McIntosh County Democrat
Thursday, May 1, 1924
FORTY-SIX GRADUATES
On May 16th 46 young ladies and gentlemen will receive diplomas from the Checotah high school as their reward for four years of faithful work and study This class is the largest that has ever graduated from the Checotah high and no doubt their record will hold for several years.
Home Service Department
The Home Service Department has had more than 26 calls during the last three months regarding compensation, Vocational Training, Dental Treatment, etc. besides many letters, telegrams and longdistance calls concerning ex-servicemen away from home.
The Director of the Veterans Bureau has arranged to send a special committee of physicians to Oklahoma to look after the needs of the World War Veterans.
All ex-servicemen who desire compensation, hospitalization or wish to have their claims reviewed may present their cases before this body.
This committee will visit Federal Hospital No. 90 at Muskogee on My 4th and 5th.
All ex-servicemen who are not getting their compensation or treatment they think they should have are earnestly requested to go to Muskogee on that date and see this committee.
Installing New Fire Siren
Since the discontinuance of the local power plant the members of the fire department have had to depend upon the ringing of the bell on the truck to call them to duty and as a result a large number of the boys who reside some distance from the station failed to respond.
The city council recently purchased an electric fire siren and the apparatus is being placed in position on top of the fire station this week. The siren will be controlled by the operator at the telephone exchange, who will turn the “shriek” loose immediately on receipt of alarm.
••••• 80 YEARS AGO McIntosh County Democrat
Thursday, November 4, 1943
WAR FUND DRIVE GOING OVER TOP Nearly $2,000 Already Raised in Checotah Collections in the war fund drive in north Mc-Intosh county are coming in rapidly and he district is expected to exceed its quota within a week, it was indicated in reports released this week by W.K. Birce and Milam King.
Campaign solicitations in the city have already collected $1,965, although this is still short of the quota of $2,656.25.
Search Is Started For P.C. Archer
The disappearance of P.C. Archer, prominent merchant and farmer of the Elm Grove community, was reported to police by members of the family this week.
Archer was last seen in Checotah about 10 days ago when he cashed a check for $75 at a local store.
His son, Bill Archer, who was home on furlough from Camp Peary, Va., had just returned to camp before his father vanished.
••••• 75 YEARS AGO McIntosh County Democrat
Thursday, May 5,1949
SALARY BOOSTS TO RAISE SCHOOL BUDGET TO RECORD HIGH Anticipated passage of a bill to increase salaries of teachers $500 a year during the present session of the legislature, has boosted the budget of expenses for operating the city schools during the next fiscal year to $106,850, members of the school board announced this week.
Miss Wallace Wins Basketball Laurels
Myrtle Wallace, Checotah’s sensational all-state forward, led the famous All-American Redheads to a 44 to 43 victory over the powerful Legion team of Rich Hill, Mo., in a recent contest.
Miss Wallace, who is one of the outstanding women cagers in American, singed the net for 19 points.
Miss Wallace recently visited home folks after her team completed a highly successful tour of the Pacific coast.
Modernistic Buses Will Be Exhibited
A fleet of new silverliner air-conditioned buses, recently purchased by Santa Fe Trailways, will arrive in Checotah at 8:40 o’clock next Thursday morning for public inspection.
••••• 50 YEARS AGO McIntosh County Democrat
Thursday, May 23, 1974
94 Received Diplomas at CHS
Commencement exercises were held Tuesday night for 94 Checotah High School Seniors.
While proud parents and friends watched, the seniors heard Joe Lemley’s address to them and then received the diploma which marks the end of one phase of their life and the beginning of another
••••• 19 YEARS AGO McIntosh County Democrat
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Checotah may get assisted living center The Checotah City Council voted in favor of a December 12 proposal by the Checotah Industrial Development Authority to conduct a feasibility study for assisted living apartments in the Checotah area.
The study consists of determining the demographics of the community such as age, education and income. It will also reveal if there are enough people in the city and county to benefit from the project.
Federal government still owes county schools “millions”
Faced with the rising costs of building a new elementary school and ongoing improvements at other school sites, Eufaula superintendent Bill Wilson has a message for the federal government, which he says still owes the school district “millions and millions” of dollars: better late than never.
According to Wilson, the federal government removed over 27,000 acres from within the Eufaula school district to build Lake Eufaula in the early 1960s.
However, Wilson contends, the bill on the land, which soared upwards of $21 million, has never even come close to being paid.
••••• 10 YEARS AGO McIntosh County Democrat
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Assistant superintendent resigns at special board meeting Toni Brown resigned under mysterious circumstances last week.
On Tuesday, May 19, after avoiding answering numerous requests over a period of days by the McIntosh County Democrat for an interview, Superintendent Janet Blocker finally said Brown had retired.
The mystery began at the May 5 school board meeting at the Longfellow building.
The longtime educator’s name came up for a vote to be re-hired, but after a board member made a motion to retain her, the motion failed for lack of a second.
Preservation plans to honor three
Checotah Landmark Preservation Society made plans to honor three people this month – the late Paul Henry Carr, Imogene Duvall and Jordan Underwood.