Snapshots of History
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By Mike Avitt
Shown this week are five Mount Ayr matchcovers.
A matchbook contains a staple and matches; this is the cover only, hence matchcover.
These little bits of advertising have historical significance for me as I have no photograph of these businesses.
I’m currently selecting images for a picture slideshow to be shown at the Princess Theatre during our sesquicentennial celebration this coming fall. Please let me know if you have an amazing image for this presentation. Notice my use of the word “image.”
This week’s picture is not a photograph, it is an image. Images can be scanned advertising, documents such as bank checks, or drawings. Maps, ink blotters, business cards, ticket stubs, sports schedules, telephone books, and postcards; all are eligible for the slideshow.
This week’s matchcovers are visible representations of past businesses. Most advertising has pertinent information such as products sold, services rendered, owner’s name, price, location of business and phone number.
Four of the five covers shown reflect the telephone number of the business advertised. None give a street address. Two of these covers were produced before street addresses came into popular use in 1959. Let’s take a closer look at our “history on paper.”
The first matchcover is from Ruth’s Cafe & Pete’s Escape Room. My expertise in matchbooks tells me this is from the early 1970s when Ruth and Pete Cavender were located at 1106 W. South Street. The matchcover contains only the last four digits of their phone number. You may recall there was a time when calling from Mount Ayr to Mount Ayr, the caller had to dial the last four digits only. Few people remember that two restaurants followed Ruth at this location – West End Restaurant in 1978-79 and R & R Cafe in 1980.
The next matchcover tells us about Patty-Lynn’s Cafe owned by Raymond Umbarger. His two daughters were named Patty and Lynn. This new cafe succeeded Bev’s Pantry in April 1974. After two years, Umbarger sold out to Carey and Lana Crowson and Rick and Lora Stull. They called their new restaurant DanDee Cafe. There is a 7-digit phone number with this matchcover.
The next cover is from the Skyway Cafe. The Skyway Cafe was opened by Mr. and Mrs. E. J. “Sky” Humphrey and was located at 300 W. South St. where the original Casey’s General Store sat. This location had a host of different owners and operators. I would love to have a photo of any of the businesses that occupied this lot. Ruth Powell (later Cavender) leased this restaurant back in 1953. She would be back in this building from 1962 to 1971. The Skyway Cafe cover boasts a phone number of 72.
Next is Jim and Red’s Tavern. I don’t know who Jim is, but Red was Red Lamb and this cover is pre-1960, so the location would be 111 N. Taylor Street. I always called this building the “Northern Propane” building because no one could remember it. A photo of this building will be in the slideshow. Red’s phone number was 51. The fact that a tavern had a phone tells me there was some other business in connection such as a cafe or feed sales or insurance, something like that.
The last matchcover is from Johnston Ford auto dealership and is dated 1960 – no phone number. In December 1955, Bob and Tim Johnston bought the Ford dealership franchise and opened in the old Timby (William Thomas Timby) Garage at 202 S. Taylor Street. Their dealership lasted until the winter of 1961-62. The Johnston brothers are the ones who built the modern Texaco Station on Highway 2 in 1956.
Now that I think about it, I do have a photo of Lamb’s Tavern from the 1950s. And I have a matchcover, too.
