Long ago on independence square (patio furniture, coop, mattresses)

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by Mad Anthonie

Trivia time!

What large piece of Nazi memorabilia was displayed on the Independence Square just after WWII ended?

the captured submarine?

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

the captured submarine?

Nein! But you are in the correct (rather broad) category.

[CaseyMO]

Originally Posted by Mad Anthonie

Nein! But you are in the correct (rather broad) category.

A Messerschmitt.

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by CaseyMO

A Messerschmitt.

Nein! But that is also in the same category as the object in question, but a different sub-category.

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by Mad Anthonie

Trivia time!

What large piece of Nazi memorabilia was displayed on the Independence Square just after WWII ended?

A car used by Hitler deputy Hermann Goering was displayed on the Square at the end of the war in Europe, 1945.

[WCHS'59]

The Chiefs have won ten straight.

Now, if they could only make that thirteen in a row.......

[WCHS'59]

Below is a quote from four years ago.



Production stopped on the B-29 in 1946.

The improved version of the B-29 was the B-50, introduced in 1947.

The B-29 was phased out in 1960 and the B-50 was phased out in 1965.

The civilian version of the B-29 was the Boeing Stratocruiser, which had two decks for passengers.

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

My last ninth grade class of each day at Independence Junior High School was on the third floor in Mr. Hart’s citizenship class.

Before the bell rang to begin that last class, we would drape our arms over the high sills of the old windows; stick our heads out, look down at Pleasant Street and talk.

There was no air conditioning.

On one particular day, a Friday, a huge tractor trailer truck turned the corner off Maple onto Pleasant. It proceeded very slowly and we wondered what this huge truck was doing. We stopped talking and shouted “look!” That big truck attracted all of our attention and it came to a stop right below us on Pleasant where the school buses normally parked. This was in 1955 or 56.

Sitting on the long trailer was the fuselage of the biggest airplane I had ever seen in my life. On the front of the fuselage was the wording “ENOLA GAY.” The fuselage or most of the fuselage was that of the B-29 bomber that dropped the Atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

As we left school for the day to find where our busses were, steps had been placed on the sidewalk leading up to the fuselage. According to a small article in The Examiner, the plane was open for public tours that week end. I cannot recall if there was a charge.

Unfortunately, I could not get back that weekend to see it and by Monday school it was gone.

I was looking through the internet a couple years ago and was surprised to learn that the Enola Gay was not broken down into pieces until 1960. In recent years, the Smithsonian has been undergoing efforts to put it back together. Either, the 1960 date is incorrect or the B-29 stopping in Independence was another airplane. I did find some information that a B-29 had been painted with the Enola Gay name to represent a replica. I don’t know if that was the one stopping in Independence, or not.

B-29s were a dime a dozen back then but only one is flying today.

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

My last ninth grade class of each day at Independence Junior High School was on the third floor in Mr. Hart’s citizenship class.

Before the bell rang to begin that last class, we would drape our arms over the high sills of the old windows; stick our heads out, look down at Pleasant Street and talk.

There was no air conditioning.

On one particular day, a Friday, a huge tractor trailer truck turned the corner off Maple onto Pleasant. It proceeded very slowly and we wondered what this huge truck was doing. We stopped talking and shouted “look!” That big truck attracted all of our attention and it came to a stop right below us on Pleasant where the school buses normally parked. This was in 1955 or 56.

Sitting on the long trailer was the fuselage of the biggest airplane I had ever seen in my life. On the front of the fuselage was the wording “ENOLA GAY.” The fuselage or most of the fuselage was that of the B-29 bomber that dropped the Atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

As we left school for the day to find where our busses were, steps had been placed on the sidewalk leading up to the fuselage. According to a small article in The Examiner, the plane was open for public tours that week end. I cannot recall if there was a charge.

Unfortunately, I could not get back that weekend to see it and by Monday school it was gone.

I was looking through the internet a couple years ago and was surprised to learn that the Enola Gay was not broken down into pieces until 1960. In recent years, the Smithsonian has been undergoing efforts to put it back together. Either, the 1960 date is incorrect or the B-29 stopping in Independence was another airplane. I did find some information that a B-29 had been painted with the Enola Gay name to represent a replica. I don’t know if that was the one stopping in Independence, or not.

B-29s were a dime a dozen back then but only one is flying today.

Do you recall an approximate date for this event? If so I may find time to browse The Examiner for a story about it.

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by Mad Anthonie

Do you recall an approximate date for this event? If so I may find time to browse The Examiner for a story about it.

While in the ninth grade, and it was warm weather for the windows to be open. The fall of 1955 or spring of 1956.

It seemed to be a rather small Examiner announcement for such an important part of history.

[Mad Anthonie]

Identify the family owned business that started in 1936 in this house. The business is still serving Independence today.