Cape Girardeau History and Photos

September 20, 2014

Niswonger Church Est. 1847

We were on curvy Hwy 72 west of Millersville when we got behind a piece of farm equipment doing about 10 miles per hour. After following him for a couple miles, I welcomed a chance to pull off at a neat white church and well-kept cemetery. I figured by the time I had explored the place he would be far ahead or have turned off.

Historical Marker

Right at the entrance to the driveway is a marker that tells how the Niswonger family came to these parts from North Carolina and how they crossed the river on ice near Ste. Genevieve on New Year’s Day 1800. One of the party, George Christopher, was 110 years old when he died in 1802, it said. You can click on the photos to make them larger, but I don’t know if you’ll be able to read the marker.

Historical oops

The back side of the marker has some corrections that were added in 1996. Apparently the 110-year-old man WASN’T George Christopher. They aren’t exactly sure WHO he was. They also cleaned up some other details at the same time.

Beautiful setting

Someone is doing a great job at keeping the building and grounds in good condition.

Men, Women and ?

Behind the church is a row of three locked outhouses. One is marked “Men,” one says, “Women,” and the third doesn’t say anything. I’m not sure who it is intended for.

The church was unlocked

I didn’t hold out much hope that the church would be open – I mean, they put locks on the OUTHOUSES.

Still, the front door swung open at a gentle pull. I left it open behind me after remembering how the Methodists tried to hold me hostage in the McKendree Chapel.

At the ready

Hymnals, collections plates, the piano and an electric fan were at the ready for the next service.

Plain, but neat and clean

It was a simple country church with plain walls and simple pews, but the paint was fresh, the floor was clean and there wasn’t a speck of dust anywhere. The carpet and plastic runner added a jarring note of modernity, but they were functional.

Cemetery Plots

One wall contains a list of interments. If you are doing genealogical research, this could be a good starting point. FindAGrave lists 93 interments and says about 89 percent of the stones are photographed and / or containing detailed information about the deceased.

Thanks to the farmer

I’m glad the farmer was on that stretch of road. If he hadn’t slowed traffic down, then I probably would have whizzed right past an interesting church and cemetery in Cape County’s Whitewater Township.

September 18, 2014

Time and Termites Take Toll

When I photographed McLain’s Chapel in the Indian Creek Community in 2011 for a story published in 2012, I wondered how many more winters it would survive. The answer is in this photo.

Time and termites took their toll. Massive beams had been hollowed out over the years.

Where did marker go?

I looked around for the marker that stood next to the building but couldn’t find a trace of it, and LaFern Stiver said she didn’t know where it had been taken. (I remember her reaction when I pointed out that the word “original” was spelled wrong on the stone. It made her old school-teacher hair bristle. Some stone cutter somewhere got his virtual knuckles rapped, I’m sure.)

Here’s my original post with photos and a history of the chapel. It has an interesting (and bloody) past.

September 18, 2014September 18, 2014

Happy Days: Gas Hits $3.03

When we were teenagers pumping gas when it was going for $.36.9, did we ever dream we’d be excited to see gas drop to $3.03 like it did at the gas station in Jackson on Wednesday?

I was pretty happy when I filled up in Pilot Knob for $3.11 on Tuesday. I had been driving for quite awhile after the Low Fuel Light had come on. I calculated in my head that we could make it all the way back to Cape, plus or minus 20 miles on the gas that was in the tank.

I felt pretty comfortable with the “plus” part, but didn’t want to walk from somewhere west of Millersville in the dark if the “minus” part turned out to be right, so I filled the tank to be on the safe side. I guess the $1.28 extra I spent was worth the peace of mind.

Gas station stories over the years

September 17, 2014

A REAL Highway Patrol Car

THIS is the way a state highway patrol car should look: two-tone paint scheme with a big logo on the side. Fins. Bubble gum machine on the top.

Who cares about aerodynamics when you have a big engine under the hood.

Big mechanical siren bolted to the fender. One that took several seconds to wind up to full volume, then took just as long to die out when it was turned off. That siren didn’t yelp, bleat, burp or play bird songs: it had the voice of authority.

Don’t forget the big 96-inch low-band two-way radio whip antenna that would go thumpa, thumpa thumpa when the vehicle stopped suddenly. Bad guys soon learned that nobody outruns Motorola.

When you look at this car, you think of Broderick Crawford growling, “Two-Fifty-One to Headquarters,” not some chirpy pretty boys like Jon and Ponce on their CHIPs motorcycles worrying if the wind is going to muss their hair.

Yep, this is a car I’d rather see at the SEMO District Fair than in my rearview mirror.