In the early 1980s, the St. Joseph News-Press ran this great black-and-white photo in an advertising supplement about Maryville. The photo before the Nodaway Historical marker was placed in front of the courthouse. I got a kick out of seeing the two telephone booths on the grounds of Main. This has gotten me searching for more, but they have been surprisingly hard to photograph. This photo was AI. colorized/enhanced.
- The booth had a better dress code than the courthouse — at least it always wore a corded tie.
- People used it to call the courthouse clerk and practice saying “objection” dramatically.
- It was the only place in Maryville where you could dial up drama without a modem.
- The booth doubled as a weather report: if the line was static, bring an umbrella.
- Couples met there to whisper “I do” and then immediately call their parents.
- Teenagers called it the courthouse confession booth — same bushes, fewer absolutions.
- The phone booth taught patience: if the call didn’t connect, you paced the lawn and learned life.
- Bailiff: “State your name.” Caller from booth: “Can you hold? I’m on line two.”
- The booth was the unofficial rumor desk — rotary-dial gossip, 25 cents per scandal.
- People said it was haunted by old case files — the receiver kept repeating, “All rise.”
- It was the courthouse’s time machine: one call, and you were transported back to the ’80s fashion choices.
- The booth was the only place cited for loitering, and it had good landscaping.
- If you argued in the booth, the hedges judged you silently.
- The sign “Coin return” was the closest thing to legal aid some callers got.
- You could always tell jury members — they were the ones still using the booth to confirm lunch plans
- People used the booth for courthouse business, but mostly for dramatic whispers: “I’m outside the courthouse… bring donuts.”
- The phone booth had better curb appeal than half the cases inside.
- Jury duty used to be simple: get summoned, show up, make one call from the booth to say “I’ll be late.”
- The courthouse grounds were so manicured that even the phone booth had a hedge for moral support.
- It was the courthouse’s most democratic institution: everyone got the same privacy, whether you were mayor or parking meter.