February 25, 2026: Times Past
Remembering Udall Postmaster Beryl Davis Above: Udall postmaster Dolly Beryl Dean Davis, left, and Eva Mitchell Reynolds stand on the porch of the Udall post office in this undated photo. Udall post office was established as St. Ledger in 1848; the name was changed to Udall in 1885 by postmaster Riley Compton when he moved it into his store. Beryl Davis served as Udall postmaster 44 years, from 1950 until her death in December 1994. A story in the March 12, 1986, Times reported that she had accrued 3,000 hours of unused sick leave. After her death, her granddaughter, Lisa Davis, served as postmaster until post office closed a few months later, in April 1995. Today the building is a private residence. This photo, which was shared on the Dora Historian Facebook page curated by Mary Collins, is from the collection of Dana Davis Taylor.
Beryl Davis had other skills besides being postmaster. This 1971 photo is from an unidentified newspaper clipping that said Beryl and fishing partner Jack Necessary each caught their limit of white bass (15 each) "in one hour's time" while fishing "near Hubbard's Boat Dock at the Udall Landing," using homemade doll flies.
Ozark County News
Feb. 28, 1895
Ad – T. G. Hawkins, Photographer. All work first class and finished up in latest city style. Call and examine my work. Gallery N.W. Cor. Square Gainesville, Mo.
Ozark County Times
Feb. 28, 1913
A full line of new and up-to-date millinery on and after March 10th. Call and see our goods. Mesdames Layton & Landers at Ozark House.
Sycamore – A Mr. Brown of Douglas County passed here a few days ago with over a hundred head of cattle.
Feb. 25, 1916
Gainesville narrowly escaped what might have been a heavy fire loss Monday afternoon when the Henry Wood residence, in the south part of town, caught fire from some rubbish which Uncle Henry was burning close by. His call of fire was immediately answered by a large number of citizens of the town who arrived just in time to save the building, as flames had already started up between the weather boarding and the ceiling on the south side of the building.
Dewey Ebrite was severely injured while assisting in fighting the fire. He was up on the small portico in front of the building leaning over the banister after a bucket of water which was being handed up to him, when the banister gave way, and he fell to the concrete walk 10 feet below. No bones were broken, but he received very painful bruises.
Feb. 29, 1940
Pleasant Grove – John Piland’s have a new radio.
Congratulations to the newlyweds Mr. and Mrs. Virgil Martin and Mr. and Mrs. Vaughn Martin.
Isabella items – Austin Herd finished hauling six tons of hay to Haskins brothers.
J. P. Wilbanks and family spent a visit with his sister in Arkansas. He brought his mother home with him.
Hub Ingram has a new radio.
Feb. 27, 1941
Romance – Mrs. Auburn Shanks purchased 300 baby chicks from the Ava Hatchery.
Horace Brown and James Bonner made a trip to Rolla recently in search of work.
Fair View items – Bro. Howard Willhoit kept his appointment here Saturday night and Sunday. He was accompanied by Bro. Neil Reich. A nice crowd attended both services.
School closed at Fairview Friday with Miss Beulah Tabor as teacher.
Quinton Friend and Renso Jones delivered a truck load of corn to I. O. Howard last week.
Feb. 23, 1950
One of the largest crowds ever to assemble at the High School Gym was attracted here by the radio artists Carter Sisters, Mother MayBelle and Chester Atkins. The folks put on a good program. The proceeds we understood amounted to more than $290.
Feb. 24, 1966
Nine more men from Ozark County will leave next Tuesday for induction into the armed forces at Kansas City. They are Russell Richard Mackey, Bobby Joe Kirkland, Leroy Collins, Harlie Marlin Blair, Jerry Dean Crawford, Tommy Albert Kellum, Jimmy Gail Wallace, Roy Earl Carr and Leonard Darel Davis.
Feb. 26, 1976
A new auto parts store will open Monday in the former McDonald grocery store building on the west side of the square.
Joe McFarland and Loren Hillhouse have purchased the building from Mrs. Delphia McDonald and have named the firm J and L Auto Parts. They will be stocking parts for domestic and foreign vehicles and will be dealing in wholesale and retail trade, McFarland and Hillhouse said.
Both men live in Gainesville. McFarland his wife Nicki, have a daughter, Jolene, 9 years old. Hillhouse and his wife June... have three children: Shelly, 10, Gayla, 6 and Corey, 4.
Feb. 21, 1996
Hammond items – Alice Ankeberg, correspondent – Sometimes on a clear, quiet day when the air currents are just right, we can hear what sounds like a freight train whistle. It sounds so close, like just over the hill. Some have said it might be the ferry down at [Protem] that we hear.