110 years ago this day in the thriving railroad town of Villisca, Iowa, Josiah and Sara Moore spent their last day together with their children Herman, Katherine, Boyd and Paul.  Katherine's friends Lena and Ina Stillinger spent the day in town getting ready for the Presbyterian Church Children's Day evening service and were given permission by their sister Blanche to stay the night with the Moore family.

A Timeline Leading up to the June 10, 1912 Villisca, Iowa axe murders

6:30 am:
Henry Enarson calls the Reverend Ewing home to ask if visiting minister, Reverend Lyn George Jacklin Kelly can stay with Reverend and Mrs. Ewing this evening.  Ewing agrees to host Kelly.

8:00 am-8:30am:
From his field, Joseph Stillinger sees Lena & Ina Stillinger walking toward Villisca for Sunday School.

9:30 am:
The Methodist Church bells are ringing and it is a bright, sunny day.  Alice Willard is sitting on her front porch.

Mrs. Glackmeyer prepares for the morning program at the Methodist Church. She and Miss Letha Jones have charge of the program.

The Peckham family are walking to their Christian Church. Unlike the Presbyterian and Methodist Churches, it will not hold evening services.

10:00 am:
Sunday School begins at the Presbyterian and Methodist Churches.

Bruce Stillians opens his father's drugstore for business. He cleans up the store, opens the mail, then goes for lunch.

11:00 am:
Morning worship and sermon begin at the Presbyterian Church. Morning preaching service begins at the same time at the Methodist Church.

Sara Moore's friend, Mrs. Meyers, attends the Methodist Church in the morning.  The Moore family attends the Presbyterian Church.

1:00 pm:
Lee VanGilder is walking in front of the Stillians place when he sees one of the Stillians boys go over to talk to Joe Moore.

Bruce Stillians heads to K.P. Club Room after eating supper. He stays until 7 pm.

Ed Selley goes to work at the Joe Moore Implement Store, as usual (no five-day/40 hour week in those days).

Mrs. Meyers went out on her lawn and did not notice any strangers around. She notes the air is damp. Mrs. Sara Moore stops a while to visit before walking over to the Presbyterian Church to drill the children for Children's Day exercises. Mrs. Meyers is good friends with the Moores.

2:00 pm:
Mrs. Ewing, Sara Moore and Miss Hugis work with the children on the special service to be presented at the Presbyterian Church. Lena and Ina Stillinger are there rehearsing along with Herman, Katherine, Boyd and Paul Moore. They drill until 4:00 pm.

3:00 pm:
Reverend Kelly preaches at a school house in District 10 in nearby Arlington.

H. A. Glackmeyer, insurance/real estate loan agent, lies on a couch reading at home after a satisfying dinner. It is a pleasant day. His wife clears away the dishes and notices a man going past their house. She calls to her husband, "Get up and see what is the matter with that man." He was looking over all of the houses along the street. Glackmeyer gets up, but misses seeing the man. His wife said, "You are too late, he has just gone out of sight to the north." The Glackmeyers live next door to Albert Jones. Albert lives in the first house north of the alley behind Joe Moore's house.

He sees neighbor Albert Jones painting his home's windows yellow.

3:30pm:
Ed Selley sees Joe Moore on the south side of the square on the street near the Post Office.

4:00 pm:
Harry Himiller and his wife go to C. A. Moore's to visit.

Ed and Ethel Landers and their boys are in Villisca from Shenendoah visiting Ed's mother at her home. Ed is a Real Estate man. Mother Landers lives across from Joe Moore's home. There is a vacant lot west of her house where a pasture of rye grows.

4:30 pm:
Sara and Joe Moore and their four children go to visit his parents, as they do every Sunday.

Evening:
Ed Selley has dinner at his brother-in-law's home.

EJ Mann, manager of the Fisher Hotel in Villisca, is on duty this evening.

No time specified:
Ethel Landers helps Mrs. Posten, her sister in law, serve up the evening meal at the restaurant. Ed Landers joins in.

5:00 pm:
The supper hour begins at Mrs. Poston's Café.

6:00 pm:
Blanche Stillinger receives a call from Joe Moore asking if Lena & Ina can stay the night at their home. The girls are afraid to walk to their grandmother's in the dark. Blanche gives permission.