Long ago on independence square (Liberty, Lexington: bowling alley, gallery, corner)

[WCHS'59]

Here are some postal facts for Independence:

Business addresses: 3,592

PO Box addresses: 1,053

Residence addresses: 47,581

Multi-family addresses: 5,164

[MRG Dallas]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

Clinton's Drug Store at Main and Maple. I believe that is Larry, Moe, and Curly on the sidewalk.

Nyuk, Nyuk, Nyuk

[MRG Dallas]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

The Kansas City Blues were the New York Yankees top farm team.

The Kansas City Athletics were a New York farm team according to a lot of folks in the fifties.

Does anyone remember Bob Cerv of the Kansas City As? He was a New York reserve player traded to the As. In 1958, he suffered a broken jaw in a collision at the plate with a catcher. His jaw and mouth were wired shut.

A tooth was taken out so that he could "eat" ground up steak and such by sipping through a straw and he kept playing. He was leading the American league in home runs and RBIs and beat out Ted Williams to start the All Star game. Someone stood close by for a couple months while his jaw healed so that if he should have to vomit his jaw could be unwired and he would not choke to death.

Did not do KC much good as they wound up 7th out of 8 American League teams that year.

I remember Bob Cerv but had forgotten the broken jaw. Big RH power hitter, wide batting stance and swung for the fences . . . alot . . . and struck out . . . alot

As kids we were having a "draft" of players for a table top baseball game and one of the neighbor boys wasn't as familiar with the stars of the league, so he was choosing the "safe" KC A's. My very baseball-saavy Mom was in the kitchen (where the draft was taking place) and feeling sorry for the guy, when he wanted Bob Cerv, she interjected and said: "Bob Cerv? NO, take Willie Mays!" The rest of us were POd that he was getting extra help lol since we wanted to take advantage of his naivete. Thanks, Mom.

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

I remember Bob Cerv but had forgotten the broken jaw. Big RH power hitter, wide batting stance and swung for the fences . . . alot . . . and struck out . . . alot

As kids we were having a "draft" of players for a table top baseball game and one of the neighbor boys wasn't as familiar with the stars of the league, so he was choosing the "safe" KC A's. My very baseball-saavy Mom was in the kitchen (where the draft was taking place) and feeling sorry for the guy, when he wanted Bob Cerv, she interjected and said: "Bob Cerv? NO, take Willie Mays!" The rest of us were POd that he was getting extra help lol since we wanted to take advantage of his naivete. Thanks, Mom.

This was back when there were eight teams in each league. The players on the sixth place team, fifth, fourth, third, and second all received shares of World Series playoff money to help insure they would not roll over and play dead when their team got a ways behind the front runner. No one cared a rat's petutie about the 7th and 8th place teams, chuckle.

I dont know how the playoff money is shared today.

Despite Cerv's heroics he wound up with a .276 batting average, 105 homers, and 374 RBIs--and he is still alive at 88 in Nebraska.

[WCHS'59]

I just noticed what appears to be an entrance to a basement level of the drug store at the far right.

[MRG Dallas]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

I just noticed what appears to be an entrance to a basement level of the drug store at the far right.

That dry goods store is Casper & Shimfessel at 104 WM Dont know the year of the photo but at lest by 1912, F H H Knoepker's was also listed as a dry goods establishment and would have been immediately west at 106.

The second floor above Casper's is a "law office" and might have been Olney Burruss who's listed at "2nd fl Clinton Bld" which might be what that corner building was known as. I can't make out the signs above Clinton's

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

That dry goods store is Casper & Shimfessel at 104 WM Dont know the year of the photo but at lest by 1912, F H H Knoepker's was also listed as a dry goods establishment and would have been immediately west at 106.

The second floor above Casper's is a "law office" and might have been Olney Burruss who's listed at "2nd fl Clinton Bld" which might be what that corner building was known as. I can't make out the signs above Clinton's

The Maple street entrance to the upstairs offices is the doorless entryway between the two green columns behind the "three stooges" standing on the sidewalk. That entrance is still there.

There is also a side entrance shown on Main shown in the photo. That entrance also went upstairs. That side entrance was still there in the fifties but has since been bricked up.

On Google, another steel door further down Main on the corner of the building appears to be a private exit from the drug store.

[WCHS'59]

This is the intersection of Maple and Liberty looking west with the Bank of Independence on the right. Note that the trolley line curves going south onto Liberty.

The last photo was one block east of this location and shows the tracks coming straight up Maple from this intersection. They probably changed the line around at some point.

Looks like there could be another pair of tracks going up and down Liberty.

[WCHS'59]

Help me out here. Where is this? My thinking is that this is the corner of N Main and E Van Horn (Truman Road) looking east and the building is what became Fire Station No. 1. That would make the building next door as the 1859 jail.

But Google shows the fire station as a two story building and the next building does not look a lot like the jail.

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

Help me out here. Where is this? My thinking is that this is the corner of N Main and E Van Horn (Truman Road) looking east and the building is what became Fire Station No. 1. That would make the building next door as the 1859 jail.

But Google shows the fire station as a two story building and the next building does not look a lot like the jail.

It definitely isn't that corner, as the old jail has been there since 1859. The fenced yard in the foreground could be the lawn of the courthouse. There is a similar falloff at Lexington & Main that would align with this view. Perhaps the buildings pictured are gone?

If we ask nicely perhaps Dallas would check his earliest Polks' for the address of Alexander's Hardware, hopefully found next door to a grocer. My Pearl Wilcox books don't list an Alexander Hardware. The only Alexander store was in Lake City.

I'm also a bit confused by the photo's caption "Masonic Temple". Perhaps it was upstairs.