Hometown Matters

By Pauline Masson – Swiss immigrant Remig Leber brought an astonishing cultural lifestyle to the frontier rail town of Pacific, but he died young, leaving his 38-year-old widow and five children to carry on his legacy. For 45 years, from Mr. Leber’s death in 1887 to her death in 1934, Mrs. Mary Leber managed Leber’s Hall and Leber’s Park, founded by her husband. She also headed the Diaconian Ladies Aid Society that raised amounts of money to aid the needy … Continue reading “Mary Leber, Widowed at 38 with five Children, Guided the Family Legacy of Pacific Cultural Life for 45 Years “

_______________________________________________________________________________ By Pauline Masson – While many people voice confusion on the peculiarly named federal holiday Juneteenth, as a transplant to this area I see that the Franklin County east central area – Pacific, Catawissa, Robertsville and Villa Ridge – has a lot to remember on June 19, Juneteenth. This will be the third year that Juneteenth is celebrated as a federal holiday. President Joe Biden signed the bill establishing the federal holiday on June 17, 2021. But the origin … Continue reading “Juneteenth, Black Holiday With Peculiar Name Calls Up Stories Worth Remembering”

By Pauline Masson Pacific today is known for the railroad, the Meramec River, Route 66, and spectacular bluff-top sites where visitors can see all three at the same time. But one of the coolest parts of Pacific history is its mastery of the chemistry of ice. The railroad surpassed the river in 1853 as the cheapest mode of transportation, but the Meramec held onto one secret – it froze deep enough to support a team of horses  for weeks on end, … Continue reading “Heat Wave or Not / Pacific Has a History of Keeping Cool “

By Pauline Masson – June 8 is National Best Friends Day and our town is ahead of the game as two groups of best friends – friends of the late Danny “Turtle” Johnson and friends of the late Jeffrey White – mesh their love of fun and togetherness in an anything-on-wheels poker run to benefit the community. On June 1, the sixth annual Turtle Run – a biker run through Pacific, Grover, St. Clair and Dittmer- brings friends of the … Continue reading “2024 Turtle Run Brings Two Friends’ Groups Together to Benefit the Jeffrey White Memorial Skate Park  “

By Pauline Masson – The LePere plantation house on South Denton Road was thought to have been built by slaves, creating hand fired bricks on the site. The bricks were later covered over with stucco. Marking time – it was home to a dozen families including a Franklin County pioneer, a plantation owner, a doctor, a St. Louis chef, a future Pacific mayor and the son of an industrial park developer. Last week it changed hands one more time with … Continue reading “Antebellum House Witnessed the Birth, Decline and Renewal of a Frontier Railroad Town “

_________________________________________________________________________________________ By Pauline Masson How do cities choose the themes for festivals aimed at bringing residents out of their homes, attracting visitors and improving the local economy? In my tenure here since 1988, Pacific has held Pride Day Festivals, Railroad Day Festivals, and Halloween Festivals, all of which draw good crowds. The public shows up here for parades, sports tournaments and rodeos. Former alderman Rick Layton once organized a Safety Awareness Day – on the grocery store parking log of … Continue reading “1930 – The New Pacific Chamber of Commerce Launched Its First City Festival ‘Cow Day’”

_________________________________________________________________________________________ By Pauline Masson –  As she welcomes the newest city legislative board following the recent election, Mayor Heather Filley says concerned citizens may be the greatest asset in determining the city’s future. She says although the city image has taken some hits recently, the city belongs to all of us and she wants citizens to return to city hall meetings, and above all, voice not only their concerns but their solutions to city deficits. In an interview with Hometown … Continue reading “In Near Future, Mayor Heather Filley Focuses on Beefing up Citizen Participation and City Image “

By Pauline Masson –  Rock collectors from across the generations turned out for an interactive study session on the world of collecting rocks, fossils and minerals held at the Scenic Regional Library last Saturday. Jo Schaper, local geologist and science writer; Alfred (Fred) Schovanez, president of the State Paleontology Association; and Asa Asa, social media science guru led the three-hour session. It was not “everything you would ever need to know about rocks and fossils,” but it was enough to … Continue reading “Rock ID Show at the Pacific Library Drew Generations of Curious Collectors “

By Pauline Masson – Joe McHugh, the artist, turned a childhood tendency to sketch faces into a lifetime compulsion. He never saw a face that he couldn’t draw, paint, or sculpt.  From early childhood in the three story McHugh-Dailey building on South First Street – before he entered St. Bridget Elementary School – Joe was a compulsive sketcher. I have a handful of paper restaurant napkins that he sketched for someone as they dined. I don’t even remember who gave … Continue reading “Niece Says 70-Year-Old Mystery Sketch is Work of Joe McHugh / Crucifix in Cell 8 / An Act of Devotion”

By Pauline Masson – Six months after offering to stay for a year to help the City through the search for replacement of the city administrator who resigned in August 2023, Interim City Administrator Harold Selby resigned the post April 2.  Selby is now the fourth city official to exit City Hall in eight months.  Previous city administrator Steve Roth resigned August 11, 2023. Former Economic Development Director Steve Myers left October 13, 2023. Former. And Police Chief Scott Melies … Continue reading “Fourth Departure at City Hall / Selby Resigns Saying Board Is Going In a Different Direction”