Cape Girardeau History and Photos

April 13, 2015

Masonic Lodge / Keys Music

When I started down the Broadway hill on my way to Broussard’s for a take-out order, the Rust & Martin sign atop the brick building at the corner of Broadway and Spanish stood out.

On the left is the old First Baptist Church / General Baptist Church. I photographed the steeple being painted in 1967.

Cornerstone laid in 1891

An Old Town Cape plaque says “One November 5, 1891, the cornerstone was laid for the Masonic Temple and on June 24, 1892, the dedication ceremony was held. The builders were C. Lindemann & Son of Cape Girardeau. Kirchner & Kirchner of St. Louis were the architects. In 1970, the Masons sold the bulding to Vida Keys. It remained the Keys Music Store until 2001. It is a contributing building in the National Register Historic District.”

The Masons built a new building on land near Broadway and Kingshighway that had originally been donated to be Doggett Park.

A long time coming

I’ve been watching the renovation work for several years. It’s nice to see a landmark building preserved.

It’s in good company. The nicely-restored Kage House, built between 1860 and 1870, is right across the street from it.

April 12, 2015

Big Fire on the Square

While Curator Jessica and I were waiting for a table at Rhapsody Restaurant on the square in Nelsonville, Ohio, last fall, I said I was going to wander around shooting some record photos of the buildings.

“Who knows?” I told her. “Those buildings could burn or be torn down by the next time I come through here.”

Pretty safe prediction

I wasn’t being particularly prescient. It’s not uncommon for old buildings to burn or fall down. Athens lost about a half a block of legendary bars and eateries a few months back, and downtown Cape has had its share of big fires over the past century.

Facebook and the Athens County media sites were all ablaze (pun not intended) with spectacular photos of what appeared to be this tall building on fire. The historic Stuart’s Opera House on the left and the gray Majestic building on the right were OK in the latest reports I read.

Rhapsody has smoke, water damage

Alfonso Contrisciani of the Rhapsody reported on his Facebook page that the restaurant has had some some and water damage, but it’s hoped that they’ll be open next week.

“Started as a electrical fire. No one hurt. Stewart’s ok rhapsody ok for now. Hocking college art gallery gone. Five alarm,” he reported.

I covered some fairly impressive fires on the square when I was there in the late ’60s and early ’70s, but this one looked like it was a bigger.

Headed to Ohio

I’ll have a chance to check it out next week. I’m heading to Athens on Sunday to be around for the opening of an exhibit of a bunch of my photos at the Athens County Historical Society and Museum on April 16.

April 11, 2015

Seedy Picture of a Dandelion

I walked around Mother’s house to check for any damage from Thursday night’s storms (we heard a roar that almost drove us to the basement). We had a few dead limbs down, but nothing really worth hauling out the chain saw for. I mentioned a couple days ago that things were greening, purpling, yellowing and reddening all over the place.

What I did NOT expect to see was a patch of dandelions already going to seed. (Click on the photo to make it larger.)

I know that it’s a sign of disgrace to have dandelions in your yard, but I’ve always had a soft spot for this colorful little weed.

April 10, 2015

‘I’m Having a Heart Attack!’

I’m pretty sure the American Ice Cream Drive-In on the left as you come into Jackson was once a Dairy Queen. It wasn’t one of my haunts. (I was more a Wib’s guy.)

You know how certain family stories grow up to be family legends over the years. I wasn’t along the night that Dad and the rest of the family stopped in for what must have been a new product. I don’t know the official name of the frozen beverage they were served. Today it would be known at 7-11 as a Slurpee and other places as a Slushee.

Much like people didn’t really know how to eat pizza at first and ended up with burned mouths, Dad apparently didn’t know how to drink his frozen concoction. It was so cooling, so refreshing, so good-tasting, that he must have sucked it down in big gulps.

Sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia strikes

When the resulting brain freeze hit him, he told the family that he thought was having a heart attack. Fortunately, the condition didn’t last long and all he suffered was embarrassment.

Sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia, by the way, is the scientific name for “ice cream headache,” a term that has been in use since at least January 31, 1937. Much to my surprise, the first published reference to “brain freeze” was on May 27, 1991. I could have sworn I heard the phrase used long before that.