Cape Girardeau landmarks Archives

June 29, 2011September 22, 2011

Creepy Lorimier School Murals

When I published the collection of pictures titled, “Do These Photos Say Cape?” I mentioned that I was pulling them together for a friend. The friend – I guess I should say Virtual Friend – was Nicolette Brennan, Cape Girardeau’s public information coordinator, who wanted them for the city’s website. I dropped them off at City Hall, the former Lorimier School, Tuesday afternoon.

Where are the murals?

When I wrote about Lorimier’s transition from a school to a city hall, someone asked me if the murals were still in the hallways. Since I hadn’t attended school there, I didn’t know what they were talking about. On the way out of the building, I asked a nice woman (who is a reader, by the way) if she knew where they were. I don’t remember if she used the exact word “scary, spooky, weird” or what, but I knew what she was talking about as soon as I saw them. Huck Finn, above, is the most benign of the batch. Ironically, because the plumbing in the water fountain or sink in front of it is broken, there was a filing cabinet in front of it that almost hid it from view.

Three Men in a Tub could cause nightmares

The Three Men in a Tub would give any kid nightmares. It’s not exactly what I would picture over a water fountain in an elementary school, particularly since the character on the left looks like he’s losing his lunch into it.

Don’t believe me?

If you don’t believe me that the characters are grotesque, here’s a closeup. Like always, you can click on any image to make it larger, then click on the sides to move to other photos. I’m not sure I would encourage you to do that in this case.

Long John Silver has Mick Jagger lips

I’m assuming the guy with the eye patch is Long John Silver or another pirate. His lips, though, look like they could go on Rolling Stone’s Mick Jagger.

Video games are violent?

It’s been a long time since I’ve thought about nursery rhymes. Sing a Song of Sixpence starts off with a king being served a piece of pie that opens up to contain singing birds. I find that neither sanitary, entertaining nor filling.

Sing a song of sixpence,

A pocket full of rye.

Four and twenty blackbirds,

Baked in a pie.

When the pie was opened,

The birds began to sing;

Wasn’t that a dainty dish,

To set before the king?

The birds get their revenge in the third verse, though. Animals didn’t need PETA in those days, they took care of their own problems.

The maid was in the garden,

Hanging out the clothes;

When down came a blackbird

And pecked off her nose

These graphics explain a lot about my classmates who came through Lorimier.

June 26, 2011September 22, 2011

Capaha Pool: Erased

Wife Lila and I hadn’t been back to Capaha Park since the pool was razed. When we pulled into the loop, there was an audible gasp from the seat next to me.

The pool where she had been a lifeguard for 10 years had been erased. The city didn’t even have the tact to leave behind a reminder like the oval that had been the old pool in the background of the photo.

Fighting back tears, she said, “I don’t know how you can feel this way about something that’s not a person.”

Salvaged half a brick

There were a few brick fragments sticking out of the mud from last night’s rains. The first one I brought her was red, but neither of us could remember any red brick being used in the building. Later, Bill /Jacqie Jackson, Lila’s lifeguard colleague said that there was one course of red brick used as an accent in the pool building.

I’ll have to take his word for it. It must have been used in an interior wall, because I don’t see it in any of the photos I took just before the wreckers moved in.

I went back to retrieve a tan brick that was more like we both remembered.

Laurie scored brick and fence cap

Lila gave Jacqie her half-brick because Niece Laurie Everett, of Annie Laurie’s Antiques fame, scored her a whole brick and the cap off one of the fence posts while demolition was in progress.

Earlier stories about Capaha Pool

June 16, 2011September 22, 2011

Fischer’s Market / Islamic Center

A March 15, 1946, Missourian brief said that “Arthur M. Fischer has purchased the two-story brick building at 298 North Boulevard, the ground floor of which he has occupied the past five years with his retail grocery, Fischer’s Market. The purchase of the building was made from Mrs. Carl Umbeck, whose husband erected the structure and for years operated a grocery there. Mr. Fischer bought the grocery business from Mr. Umbeck when the latter retired.

“Mr. Fischer also purchased a vacant lot adjacent on the south to the store, the entire property having a frontage on West End. Boulevard of 135 feet and a depth of 132 feet. Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Klaproth, who recently sold their frame dwelling at 1318 Perry avenue to M.G. Campbell, have moved into the second floor apartment. Mrs. Umbeck went to New York City several days ago to reside with a son, Theodore Umbeck.”

A Sept. 22, 1987, story said that Fischer’s Market was going to close after 50 years. At one time, three Fischer’s Markets were operating in Cape – this one; Fisher’s Four-Way Store at Bloomfield and Koch, and Fisher’s Downtown Market at 19 N. Spanish. J. Ronald Fisher Jr. said, “You might say that Fischer’s Market has run its course. The small neighborhood grocery store has a difficult time staying afloat.”

Cornerstone Assembly Church bought the property in 1991.

Grocery became Islamic Center

I was surprised to see that the former grocery had been turned into a very attractive Islamic Center. I don’t know what the long, horizontal building behind the Center is used for today, but it once was where the chickens were processed for the market. Fischer’s had a standing ad wanting to buy “heavy type hens for top prices.”

I didn’t do an exhaustive search, but it seems like the Center has managed to avoid the controversy that has surrounded similar centers in other towns. The members have joined with other religious organizations in acts of fellowship and charity. In fact, it was once of those ecumenical meetings that caused EVERYONE who participated to be condemned in Missourian comments for being tools of Satan and for fostering “one world religion.” You know you’re making progress when the equal opportunity haters target Catholics, Methodists, Muslims, Baptists and those of the Hindu faith as a common group.

The Missourian’s coverage has been positive and there have been a number of supportive editorials.

In 2009, a Cape Girardeau man was sentenced to three years in prison for hate crimes for vandalizing the center and a car in the parking lot, plus driving while intoxicated.

June 8, 2011September 18, 2011

507 – 515 Broadway’s Past

Reader Larry Points left a comment on yesterday’s story about Bob’s Shoe Service that set me off to do the research I should have done last night about businesses at in the 500 block of Broadway:

Am I mistaken, or was Wissman’s barber shop in this location prior to Bob’s Shoe Service (or perhaps it was in a storefront that went away for the adjacent parking lot)? My Dad’s Parisian Cleaners was across the street at 510 Broadway.

Here’s aerial photo taken April 17, 2011, that shows the neighborhood in question. Bob’s Shoe Service is at 515 Broadway. Wissman’s Barbershop was were the parking lot is to the east of Bob’s. Trinity Lutheran Church is at right center. Annie Laurie’s Antiques is the white building on the northeast corner of Broadway and Frederick. Shivelbine’s is across the street from Annie Laurie’s.

515 Broadway Background

Taken from stories in The Missourian:

June 17, 1921 – Ad for Scott’s Coffee Store offered 10 lbs. pure cane sugar for 75 cents and promised freshly made peanut butter while you wait.
Oct. 14, 1921 – G.W. Tallent had an addition built onto his barber shop because he couldn’t find a bigger building to buy.
Dec. 11, 1924 – The Square Deal Variety Store advertised you could buy a velocipede for $2.75 up to $12.
Dec. 15, 1930 – Curious ad says “Regardless of what your stamp book may state, Bankers’ and Merchants Christmas Saving Stamps are now good any time before or after the first of the year. Do your Christmas shopping with these Christmas Savings Stamps – Profit-Sharing Stores. (Then it lists more than a dozen merchants whose names you’ll recognize)
July 15, 1935 – Square Deal Variety Store celebrates 20th anniversary with double Eagle Stamps.
April 16, 1942 – The battle to defend Australia, New Zealand and the islands of the South Pacific against the Japs is of particular interest to Mr. and Mrs. C.H. Shively, who own and operate the Square Deal Variety Store. They spent about 13 years in Australia before coming to Cape Girardeau. He was a representative of an American firm selling merchandise in that area. They didn’t reside in any particular place, but were traveling all the time. Mr. Shively said that he stayed in at least 500 hotels, as many as three in one day.
Oct. 29, 1945 – Norval Randol, recently discharged from the Army after five years of service, has completed negotiations for the purchase of the Square Deal Variety Store and building from Mr. and Mrs. C.H. Shively. Mr. and Mrs. Shively have operated the store for 29 years, 22 of them in the present location. Prior to that, it was located in the I. Ben Miller drug store building.
May 22, 1948 – Narvol A. Randol, owner of the Square Deal Variety Store, has installed a complete sales and service department for Maytag appliances. Walter R. Balcom is manager of the department.
April 7, 1967 – Bob’s Shoe Shop, which has been located the past nine years at 633 Broadway in a building owned by Martin Hecht, has moved to new quarters at 515 Broadway. It now occupies triple its former space in a building purchased by the shop’s owners, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Fuller, from Rex Lambert, who formerly operated a fabric shop there, but has since moved to a new location on Kingshighway north.
June 29, 1975 – A story and pictures about Bob Fuller turning cowhide into fine saddles.
June 20, 1985 – Bob’s Shoe Service has expanded several times to offer the largest selection of boots between St. Louis and Memphis. The latest expansion was to acquire the adjoining building at 517 Broadway. This has been converted to the BOOT ROOM, a showroom featuring over 2,500 pairs of boots.

507 Broadway

A number of buildings were torn down on the south side of the 500 block of Broadway to create this parking lot. This photo is looking west toward Bob’s Shoe Service at 515 Broadway.

Missourian stories and advertisements:

June 14, 1922 – Miss Minnie Brandon is expected to return home within the next few days from St. Louis where she purchased a stock of goods for a novelty store, which will open at 507 Broadway. The building she will occupy is now nearly completed. Miss Brandon is the niece of William Vedder.
Jan. 13, 1928 – Walter Mehrle will open the “Handy Grocery Store” at 507 Broadway, Saturday, and announced he will handle a complete line of groceries, vegetables, with a specialty of the last two. The building was formerly occupied by a fruit store. Mehrle was previously associated in the Mehrle Grocery Co. on the corner of Spanish and Independence streets.
Oct. 26, 1933 – Advertisement: J. Hughes Watchmaker & Jeweler. Repair work a specialty.
Jan. 4, 1936 – Attention: I have sold my interest in the Broadway Barber Shop and am now located at the old Talent Shop, 507 Broadway. Lester Wissman.
Mar. 18, 1938 – PATRICK – A son born yesterday at St. Francis Hospital to Mr. and Mrs. Lester Wissman, 1108 Independence street, was named James Patrick, his birthday being St. Patrick’s Day. Mrs. Wissman, formerly was Miss Marjory Davis of Jackson and Wissman operates a barbershop at 507 Broadway.
Aug. 31, 1939 – DAUGHTER – Mary Ann is the name that has been selected for the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lester Wissman, 101 North Boulevard, born Tuesday. She is the third child in the family, but the first girl, the others being Joe and Pat. She weighed 10 pounds. The father is the owner of a barber shop at 507 Broadway.
Nov. 29, 1946 – A plate glass window was broken out of the Lester Wissman barbershop, 507 Broadway, early Wednesday night. Police said some young people were playing old-fashioned whip cracker and that a girl was swung around against the glass, breaking it. It was also said the girl’s hand was cut against the glass.