Long ago on independence square (Kansas City, Liberty: department store, eat, design)

[sally36]

Glad you all are having a good time. I'll be back soon!

[WCHS'59]

SallyB, Welcome Back.

Gangbusters, Gunsmoke, and Lights Out were my favorite radio shows in the evening. Grand Ole Opry every once in a while. After school, it was Sgt Preston of the Yukon and Bobby Benson of the B BAR Q or something like that. Immediately after dinner is was the Lone Ranger at 6:30 on M-W-F and the Cisco Kid on Tu-Thu.

I recall going into Kresge one day and you could buy a 79 cent attachment for your television to turn it into color TV. This was around 53 or 54. It was a piece of clear plastic with the colors of the rainbow on it. You attached the plastic to the screen and watched in color. Even at my age I could recognize a rip off.

By the way at McCoy School (and I assume everywhere else) there was a Yankee-Confederate fad. I cannot recall what year this was but it must have been 1951, which would have been 90 years after the Civil War started. All the boys wore either a Yankee or a Confederate hat, except me of course. The dime stores were loaded with these hats but I did not get one. One of the older kids stopped me on the playground one day and asked if I was a Yankee or a Confederate. I did not know what he was talking about so I just said "Confederate." The kid hauled off and punched me hard. After that I was a Yankee.

Matt Dillon was played by the portly William Conrad on radio. He went on to become a famous television star. He had a Cannon TV series and made many other TV appearances. They thought he was too heavy to transfer to the TV Gunsmoke.

While at junior high we ate in the cafeteria in the basement of the memorial building. When they went to renovate the building in the recent past apparently that cafeteria area was a shambles.

I am kind of like you--it would seem to me to be only so many things that you can call Truman.

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

In looking at photos and sites about The Square, I was really surprised to see several stores still in business there.

Gateway Sporting Goods. Fond memories as both a customer and player on its 3&2 baseball teams. I also remember a "Lee's Sporting Goods" I bought one of those "headliners" you could fit inside your baseball cap that gave it both shape and some head protection. It was too big for me so when my dad took me up to refund it, the owner gave us the money back, sans the sales tax. Was my dad PO'd lol. Probably 8 cents or so, but it was the principle of the thing. One of those lasting images lol.

Do-Sal Shop. Remember the name but nothing else, probably a play on the owners' names. Hadn't thought of that in decades until seeing it listed on The Square's website.

Western Army Store. Glad to see that's still around. I might have bought my first pair of bell bottoms there!

I remember Lees Sporting Goods also. Do you recall where it was at?

The name that really got me was Sudora, located on north main close to the fire department and where the Electric Theater was located.

[WCHS'59]

Miss Beeman was the biology teacher. She was also in charge of the Pep Club. I had no problem with Miss Beeman. She was a good teacher, but one day I lost interest in the class room instruction and began reading a Readers Digest story concerning Nobel’s invention of dynamite.

I placed the open Readers Digest inside by biology book as though I was reading my text book. Before I could get the article finished, she discovered what I was doing, left the blackboard, and walked over to my desk and took the magazine. I was quite embarrassed but that story was so interesting and I was so disappointed not being able to finish it.

Fast forward until just about two years ago when a local doctor’s office had a copy of that 1958 Readers Digest laying with other reading matter. I confiscated the issue and was able to finish the article some fifty years later. It was still interesting. Last I heard Miss Beeman was still alive.

Here are some of my other teachers that I can recall. Someone out there probably had these teachers also. I have all listed as “Miss” since I cannot recall if they were married or not. However, Miss Beeman did get married several years after I graduated.

Miss Ott, English

Miss Williams, English

Miss Bierbaum, English

Mr. Burlingame, Math

Mr. Cowger, English

[MRG Dallas]

Don't quote me on this, but I'm thinking the N. side of Square, middle section along Main. I bet MAD can find it out.

[WCHS'59]

It would really be interesting to pick a side of the square and then trace each store's ownership backward to 1827.

[MRG Dallas]

Does the Community of Christ/RLDS Church have a large archives? If so there must be several pictures of the Square on file.

[WCHS'59]

Davidow’s furniture store was on south Main.

The Jackson County Library was located on north Union Street just down from Maple. Montgomery Ward’s catalog sales was next to it on the corner of Maple and Union. The library moved to 24 Highway and had a branch on South Noland. Today it is the Mid Continent Library and covers, I think, three counties with about thirty branches.


At one time, the library in the junior high school served as the Independence Public Library.


Next door north to the Jackson County library on Union was a music shop that I cannot remember the name. The very outgoing lady owner sold hi fis, stereos, sheet music, 45s, etc. She moved to the Blue Ridge Mall when it opened.

[MRG Dallas]

Next door north to the Jackson County library on Union was a music shop that I cannot remember the name. The very outgoing lady owner sold hi fis, stereos, sheet music, 45s, etc. She moved to the Blue Ridge Mall when it opened.

I think MAD mentioned on an earlier thread the music store was Turner Music Co. I for the longest time thought it was Jenkins Music, which I thought was at the Mall, but maybe I'm mistaken. The Turner name did make sense after hearing it on the thread.

[WCHS'59]

I was thinking Turner music was next to Chrisman-Sawyer bank on Lexington Street. Turner moved in there when a furniture store, maybe Tucker, moved out. I cannot recall where Turner Music was previously.

The library and the music store was on north Osage rather than on north Union, my bad.

Jenkins Music does and does not ring a bell. I just cannot recall.

I do recall that I spoke to the lady several times when on Osage but when she moved to the mall there was always a man in the store. We spoke once about her but I cannot recall that conversation either.