There is an effort underway to name a street in Keithsburg in honor of John “Bid” McPhee. McPhee grew up in Keithsburg in the 1860’s and went on to a stellar professional baseball career. He played for the Cincinnati Reds from 1882 through 1899 and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 2000. Locally, McPhee was inducted into the Mercer County High School Hall of Fame in 2015. He died in 1943. Chad Weeks is leading the effort to get a Keithsburg street named in honor of McPhee. He spoke with WRMJ Sports Director Jim Taylor on Tuesday and will be attending the Keithsburg City Council meeting on Feb. 8. He has also started an online petition drive at change.org.
Late Mercer County historian Stephanie Braucht spoke about McPhee’s Mercer County roots during a 2014 interview with WRMJ: