Our first old time picnic was very successful, with bigger and better plans  for next years picnic.  Those who attended enjoyed the activities with an all family atmosphere.

This is one of the society’s fund raising activities, and with the help of all the society memebers plus volunteers,  we were able to serve 240 meals.  Our youth members demonstrated shelling and grinding corn, and in making all of the activities of the day fun.

The Whiffle Ball Tournament was won by “The Whifflers”, taking home the traveling trophy until next years tournament.  The Hula Hoop Contest gave a great showing of youth talent, everyone needs to be on the lookout for the perfect turtle for next years Turtle Race, what a fun event. 

Thanks to all who made this a very sucessful picnic.

 

 

 

 

This school building was built in 1896, at first it was a two year high school, later to be a four year. Located in the 300 block of  West Elm (north side)

The Society is compiling three ring binders of the rural and city school pictures in the Republic area.  Each binder contains pictures of different years for each school,  with most being identified.  For the Grandview Rural School we have a school picture dated 1896 with all students and the teachers named.  If you were one of the fortunate children who attended one of these schools before consolidation, a copy of any picture or help in identifying students would be greatly appreciated.  Stop by the museum any Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and check out our new adventure.

We have 35 copies of the original publication of the Republic Centennial Book 1871-1971.  These maybe purchased for $35.00 plus shipping.  If you would like a copy e-mail to rob112241@yahoo.com or call 417-732-7702 or can be purchased at the Republic Museum, 146 North Main, Saturday’s 10:00 A.M.-2:00 P.M..  These are the last of the original copies.

Monthly meetings are held on the first Tuesday night of each month at 6:30 PM.  The public is welcome to attend these meetings.

From the Republic Monitor

VOL XLIV.      THURSDAY, JUNE 3, 1937,      NO. 7.

The people of the St. Elmo district will be canvassed to learn whether or not they want to connect with the new electric power line that is being run through Lawrence county near the west Greene county boundary.

Twenty-five attended a meeting Wednesday evening to hear County Agent C. C. Keller explain about the proposed line at the St Elmo school.  At least three persons for each mile must hook on to the line before it will be brought to the vicinity.

Ray Sifferman heads the committee to conduct the canvass.

The Republic History Books make great  gifts  The book has 288 pages of great Republic and area history, biographies from area families, some being families of founding fathers of Republic and others by current residents.  The book price is $65.00 plus $6.00 for handling and shipping if needed.   For information on how to purchase a book please call 417-732-7702 or emaill rob112241@yahoo.com. or can be picked up at the Museum, at 146 North Mian, 10:00 A.M.-2:00 P.M. on Saturday’s.

YOUR HOME TOWN FIRST

By Dr. Frank Crane

REPUBLIC MONITOR, MAY 13, 1920

Work for your home Town.

Beautify it.  Improve it.  Make it attractive.

The World War and the Treaty of Peace and the Protective Tariff and all such things are important subjects; but what’s the good of cleaning up the world unless you sweep your own doorstep?

The city whose main street is dirty, sordid-looking, cluttered, uninviting, suffers much.  Such a city wants to be cleaned, recreated, made a thing of beauty, so that people will come miles to see it.

The best advertisement of your business is the town you live in.

Towns get reputations, as well as men.  Make your town talked of all over the State.  It will thus draw people.  And where the people come, there is prosperity.

It does not take money.  It takes something that is scarcer.  It takes cooperation.

Get together.  Organize for civic improvement.  Develop the civic nerve.

Rid your town of eyesore after another.  Clean up the vacant lots and plant them in gardens.  Make a cluttered yard a disgrace.  Make public opinion to hot for those who will not help.

It pays.  It will promote law and order.  It will help in the education of your children.  It will draw factories and other business enterprises to your locality.

Shiftlessness, untidiness, dirt and selfishness, as shown in your streets and buildings, react upon your people.

Such things make your boys and girls grow up hating their home town.

Make your home town children’s paradise, something their memory will longingly turn back to.

Look after your amusements, your parks, your playgrounds, your theatres, and all your other means of commercial enjoyment.

Make your home town happy.

It pays.

               W. B. Moore

To Mr. Moore we are indebted for the history of Republic which appears in this issue.  He is, himself, one of the oldest residents.  As he says, he “was here before the town was.” and what he has written was taken from, his personal observation of the town.

The above picture along with the following article was printed in The Republic Monitor May  13 1920.

HISTORY

Republic is a thriving town on the Frisco Railroad, fourteen miles southwest of Springfield, in Greene County, Missouri

In the year 1870, where the town of Republic now stands, was a great farming country and large fields of wheat, oats, and corn, together with orchards and gardens, made a delightful place for a home, and dotted here and there were homes, were fathers and mothers were rearing up families of children.

With the coming of the railroad came the need of a station.  The location was selected, the station built and it was called Republic, and it began to grow.  Through the energetic efforts of the  people of the country, and others who moved into our midst, it has pushed steadily forward until today its population is about 1400; and Republic township, which is four miles east and west, and seven miles north and south,except the extreme northeast section which includes the town, adds about six hundred more, making about 2000 inhaitants.

Republic now has three general dry goods stores, five grocery stores, two general hardware stores, three seed and feed stores, three blacksmith’s shops, three resturants, one bakery, one furniture store, with various notions stores to meet the wants of the people.  It has two flouring mills, one of which has a capacity of 800 barrels per day, employing from 15 to 30 hands.  They also have connected with them a corn mill, which turns out a great deal of meal and feed for both man and beast.

There are three churches, the Methodist, Baptist, and Christian, with a membership which runs into the hundreds.  Each has an evergreen Sunday School, with a total enrollment of almost a thousand.

Republic has been noted for the interest she has taken in public school work.  She now has a pubic school building where they employ eight teachers, including four years of High School work.  The enrollment is between 400 and 500 pupils.  It stands approved by the State Superintendent and is classed as a Number 1 school; but we have outgrown the present building, and expect during the coming year to erect a $25,000.00 High School building.  Almost the entire community stands behind this enterprise as was shown by the vote to issue $17,000 in bonds with but few dissenting votes.  We expect to make up the remainder by donations of which perhaps more than one-half has already been subscribed.  The school board has purchased five acres of land just east of Anderson Park, upon which to build.

We grow some of the best fruit and berries here that can be grown anywhere.  Our tomatoes are hard to beat and factories here are able to take care of them, and the value of the output each year is a snug little sum.  Our stawberries are simply fine.  We have an association here and through the management of Dr. E. L. Beal and the Ozark Fruit Association they return to the growers a sum reaching away up into the thousands.

Our apple crop last year was immense and brought the growers an amount reaching into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.  One item of interest we will mention.  Dr Beal sold the fruit of 16 acres of apple orchard last year for thirty-two thousands dollars, perhaps the largest sum ever received for one corp of apples on that amount of land.  The variety was the York Imperial.  We also have peaches, plums, cherries, besides a number of kinds of berries.

Republic has been called “The Daddy of Good Roads.”  Early in the history of good roads building, when a general meeting of good roads enthusiasts was called in Springfield, the Republic delegation appeared in overalls, carring picks and shovels, and headed by a brass band.  We have a rock road running south to the county line of Christian County, one west to the county line of Lawrence County, two or three running north and east to Bois D’Arc and Springfield.

We have good train service, having a passenger train each way both morning and evening, and freight trains often enough both to send out our surplus and import such things as we need.  Our fruits, berries, poultry, hogs, sheep, cattle, flour, feed, etc., that are shipped out would amount to many trainlaods each year.

There are two central offices to send out and receive our messages by telephone, which brings us in close touch with a part of the world.  We have also good telegraph service.

H. B. Ingler is our worthy post master, who hands out to us that which comes to us by mail and through the papers we receive the news form hundreds of miles from us in a few hours after it happens.

Republic has four doctors and two dentists to assist us in our aches and ills to which the human frame is subject.

We have also the printing office which not only gives us the Monitor, a weekly paper that gives us the news up-to-date, but is ready for any work in the way of advertisement that we so much need.