Almost Yesterday

Wednesdays at 5:42 a.m., 7:42 a.m. & 5:18 p.m.

Hosted by Frank Nickell

Southeast Missouri State University

Almost Yesterday is a glimpse into the rich history of our region. Dr. Frank Nickell takes listeners on a journey to specific moments in time, such as the first radio broadcast on KFVS, the history of Farmington’s Carlton College, and the short-lived safari on a Mississippi River island. A gifted storyteller and local historian, Dr. Nickell’s wit and love for the past are combined with sounds and music that augment his narrative.

On Saturday, June 7, 2008, Almost Yesterday received First Place in the "Special Programs" category at the Missouri Broadcasters Association Awards Banquet in Kansas City, Missouri.

Local support for Almost Yesterday comes from Ted Yates, Attorney at Law.

Almost Yesterday: Morgan Hill of Cape Girardeau, Missouri … and Morgan Hill, California

By Frank Nickell • Sep 22, 2020

It seems like Almost Yesterday that the transcontinental railroad was completed at Promontory Point in Utah. The year was 1869. Within a few months, Hiram Morgan Hill and his sister Sarah Althea Hill were on the new “Pacific Train” heading to California in search of fame and fortune.

At the time, “Morgan” Hill was 22 years of age; Sarah was 20. They were the orphaned children of Samuel Allen Hill, an attorney and Missouri legislator, and Julia Sloan, daughter of Hiram Sloan, who had operated a mill on Sloan’s Creek at the northern edge of Cape Girardeau.

Almost Yesterday: Old Man Haggerty Dies

By Frank Nickell • Sep 15, 2020

December 1863 — Southeast Missouri State University

It seems like Almost Yesterday that The Cape Girardeau Argus newspaper carried an editorial tribute to the oldest resident of the city, known to all as “Old Frank” Haggerty, who died in 1863 at an age in excess of 100 years.

Haggerty moved to Cape Girardeau in 1816 before Missouri was a state, accumulated some wealth which he attributed to God’s blessings and to whom he committed his life. He spent a number of years as a preacher, never married, and claimed to have no relatives in the whole wide world.

Almost Yesterday: The Fredericktown Railroad Depot

By Frank Nickell • Sep 8, 2020

It seems like Almost Yesterday that the Fredericktown, Missouri Railroad Depot was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This was the first of only three structures in Madison County currently listed on the National Register.

The national recognition of the Fredericktown Depot calls attention to the important role that the community played as a transportation center of this important mining and timber region.

Almost Yesterday: Arcadia High School Commended

By Frank Nickell • Aug 25, 2020

It seems like Almost Yesterday that the Reverend J. C. Berryman, founder and Superintendent of Arcadia High School in Arcadia, Missouri, received a report from a committee of observers who had visited the school in order to submit an overall evaluation.

Almost Yesterday: Cape Girardeau Celebrates "Taft Day"

By Frank Nickell • Jul 28, 2020

President Taft was the first chief-of-state to visit Cape Girardeau. — Southeast Missouri State University

It seems like almost yesterday that President William Howard Taft visited Cape Girardeau. His purpose was to promote the deepening and stabilization of the Mississippi River channel.