Author: paulinemasson

By Pauline Masson – City Central, a unique historic hub in Pacific, Missouri (formerly Franklin). The pavilion above occupies the site of the original Pacific Railroad depot in the newly platted city of Franklin, Missouri. This was the destination of the first railroad excursion west of the Mississippi River on September 19, 1853. The Pacific Railroad, later Union Pacific, pulling two passenger cars and three flatbed cars with passengers sitting on plank seats visited for several hours before returning to … Continue reading “Attracting Diners to Downtown Eateries Could be As Easy As Telling a Story”

One of The Longest Free Flowing Rivers in Missouri By Pauline Masson –  History tells us that when the first overland railroad expedition arrived here in 1853, people got off the train, walked to the river and returned to the quickly thrown up train depot at First and St. Louis streets – where a savvy real estate agent had stationed himself – and bought lots to move here. It was the beginning of the development of the town. Their walk … Continue reading “Are We Missing the Boat If We Fail to Promote Pacific As A Meramec River Destination?”

By Pauline Masson –  St. Patrick’s of Armagh, a Missouri limestone sanctuary built to serve Catholics in a remote corner of the Meramec River Valley opened its doors to all, creating a history defying blend of supporters that has survived 180 years. Stonemasons recruited to build the church in the wilderness named the township that grew up around the stone church ‘Catawissa,’ in honor of their Pennsylvania home place. The first stones quarried nearby were laid here in 1859 to … Continue reading “St. Patrick’s Old Rock Church, Catawissa, a Country Catholic Parish That Blended the Rules”

By Pauline Masson – When Pacific emergency and tourism leaders host a Safety Fair in Liberty Field Park this month, they are drawing on a community education project introduced 22 years ago. On October 6, 2001, then Alderman Rick Layton kicked off the first out-door modern day community safety awareness day on the parking lot of Queens IGA store (currently B & H Market) and, I have to tell you . . . Pacific had never seen anything like it. … Continue reading “Keep Kids Safe by Teaching Safety / Pacific Has Staged 22 Years of Safety Awareness Days”

By Pauline Masson  –  Eight years ago, Mission Community Church Pastor David Lange and his wife Christy wanted to create a summer learning experience that went beyond the traditional Vacation Bible School and host a summer adventure that combined ministry with activity. They decided on a baseball camp and partnered with the Pacific Youth Association (PYA) to hold the camp at the PYA field at the end of South Fifth Street. For the first four years they recruited local teens … Continue reading “Glorified Summer Ministry Adds Finishing Touches to HFB, Teaches Little Athletes Sports Skills and Bible Stories”

_________________________________________________________________ By Pauline Masson – Nobody is recent memory combines history with high minded ideas like Jim McHugh. You might recall that McHugh, with his Tip O’Neill eyebrows and shock of white hair, is part owner of the landmark McHugh-Dailey Building at South First and Orleans streets. In 2003, after the death of his uncle Joe McHugh, Jim and his brother Dr. Bill McHugh inherited half of the building. Joe Dailey’s widow Virginia “Ginny” Dailey owned the other half. Now … Continue reading “Slogans, Stagecoach Stop, Burgers and Books, Jim McHugh Kicks Off A New Initiative to Woo Shoppers to the Center of Old Town”

By Pauline Masson Funding and operating a museums Is a testament to government / citizen collaboration. I know more about this now than I did last week since Dennis Oliver responded to my post about how museums are managed. You can thank Dennis, chair of the Meramec Valley Historical Society that helps to manage the City of Pacific Visitor Center and Museum in the historic Red Cedar Inn building for this post. In response to my report on the funding … Continue reading “Historic Landmark to Museum / Visitor Center We Have a Lot At Stake Here”

By Pauline Masson – Recent discussions on local social media pages decrying the costs and goals of the Red Cedar Museum and Visitor Center sent me on a research quest to see how other small town museums thrive.  One rule was basic to all. They require a team effort between the town and the citizens. We already have a start on that teamwork with the city paying the cost to renovate the building and set up the museum, and a … Continue reading ““The Red Cedar Is An Awesome Museum.” Says Business Woman Tracy Gullet / Let’s Get Behind It”

By Pauline Masson –  It costs money to run a soda shop and ice cream parlor.  To try to recoup some of the cost of operating the city museum and visitor center officials proposed renovating the old Red Cedar Inn Bar on the east end of the building to offer for sale to visitors hand dipped ice cream, soda and espresso coffee. From the outset, some officials and some citizens questioned the economic viability of the museum eatery – especially … Continue reading “Aldermen May Have Saved Us More Than the $100,000 Grant When They Backed Away From an Ice Cream Parlor In The Red Cedar”

By Pauline Masson – Since my story last week about two lady protesters taking on City Hall, I’ve been astonished at the outcry on local social media pages about what citizens see as what is right and wrong with our city. The comments were all over the board of small town life, far afield from what I wrote about. One thing was clear, residents are more informed about government shenanigans than I would have guessed – and more confident in … Continue reading “The Good, the Bad and the Beautiful Side of Social Media and Its Impact on a Small Town”