Cape Girardeau History and Photos
News photos that have grown whiskers and have become history
If freckles were nickles, this would be the richest kid in Cape. I don’t know his name or when it was taken, but I think it was shot at Capaha Park. (Click on the pix to make them larger.)
In fact, it might have been taken in December 1967 or January 1968 when I shot this photo of the Capaha Park Lagoon iced over. Here’s another photo of the lagoon and daring – or foolish – strollers.
This is the time of year when newspapers run lots of year-end stories.
So, in that spirit, I’m going to recycle some stories from past Christmases. Follow the links for the Real Deal. Click on any photo to make it larger.
This was from a photo book Wife Lila and I did on our first Christmas as a married couple.
Getting a bike for Christmas was a Big Deal. Here’s a video of Brother David getting his and helping Dad put it together. I love the way he keeps reaching over with his bathrobe sleeve to wipe off fingerprints from the chrome.
People were running all around to try to figure out where these photos were taken.
Could it have been Good Hope?
Nope, it turned out to have been in Jackson.
Missourian caption Dec. 24, 1967: “The Rev. Bosco Westrich of St. Mary’s Cathedral presides over Friday night’s observance of the Christmas Novena at the church. At the left, an altar boy departs. The Novena is a nine-part series of Christmas services which will conclude on Christmas Eve. The banners on either side of the altar were made by school children of the parish.”
This is the first and only Santa I’ve ever seen wearing a full-face mask. (He’s almost as scary as this Easter Bunny in my past.)
Hutson’s Fine Furniture has been hosting a Christmas display window for as long as I can remember. It’s not quite as large as I remembered it, but it’s still magic for youngsters.
Coincidentally, Hutson’s window display was chosen as Old Town Cape’s featured ornament this year. Here’s a list of past ornaments.
Close to 2,000 people a day stopped by the live Nativity scene on the steps leading to the Common Pleas Courthouse in 1965. The exhibit proved so popular that the run was extended past the expected Christmas Eve closing date.
Cars line up bumper to bumper to enjoy the Christmas displays at North County Park.
The folks at the Altenburg Lutheran Heritage Center and Museum have been putting together a wonderful Christmas display for the past six years. Here are photos from this year’s exhibit (plus a shameless plug for my Tower Rock book and East Perry County Calendar. Follow this link to see the 2010 exhibit.
The Family Aquatic Center at Osage Center was all lit up for the holidays. Quite impressive.
Here’s wishing you all a Merry Christmas or whatever holiday you’re celebrating at this time of year. We’ll probably take it easy for a couple of days. I’ve got a Top Stories of 2011 Review in the works.
On the way out of town, I stopped by to pick up some stuff at Annie Laurie’s that my Foodie Friend Jan wanted. I was pleased to see my Glimpses of East Perry County calendar on display. It would make a great Christmas present for someone, hint, hint.
Wife Lila doesn’t like to spend two days on the road. I don’t like the hassle of flying these days. We’ve compromised: I drive, she flies. When folks express concern about me driving half-way across the country by myself – aren’t you afraid of falling asleep? – I explain that I’m the Master of the 22-Minute Nap, perfected since I’ve retired.
When I feel myself getting drowsy, I pull into the next rest area, set the alarm on my phone for 22 minutes, wake up and drive for three or four more hours.
This was taken somewhere in Georgia right about sunset Monday night shortly after the alarm went off.
This was the first thing I saw when I walked into the house.
Son Adam saw the post I did on the sign my Grandmother made and said it would be neat to make one for me here. Wife Lila designed it, Adam approved it, and it was posted on the Christmas tree. Thanks.
My 2012 Glimpses of East Perry County calendar is available at the Lutheran Heritage Center and Museum in Altenburg and at Annie Laurie’s Antiques in Cape Girardeau. I’m pleased with the way the project turned out. Despite the “East Perry County” in the title, the photos should appeal to anyone who likes scenic photos, the Mississippi River, historical landmarks and quirky stories. I tried to pick images that you could enjoy for a month.
They’ll be available both places for $14. I’ll list contact information at the end.
Tower Rock: “A Demon that Devours Travelers” has gone into its second printing. (OK, so the first press run wasn’t all THAT big until I could be sure I wouldn’t have a shed full of them.) It’s available at the Altenburg Museum. The price is $14. They’ll mail it for an additional $5 shipping and handling.
Admission to the museum is free. It’s worth a drive up there to see this year’s themed Christmas exhibit with more than 30 trees. Here’s what the exhibit looked like last year.
Most of the room light in the museum and the Christmas tree lights are tungsten (old-fashioned light bulbs). They produce a warm glow that your eyes and brain translates into normal shades without us thinking about it. I didn’t realize how much color plays a part in how we perceive things until I had an assignment to shoot color photos in a grocery store. When I saw the film, I discovered that the store used red-tinted bulbs in the meat aisle to make meats look more attractive; green tints in the produce cases and yellow lights in the bakery to make the breads prettier.
This is what this tree and ornament looked like with my camera’s color balance set to Automatic (which usually works fine). Notice how “warm” the colors look.
This is what happened when I changed the color balance menu to Tungsten, meaning he camera added a bluish digital filter to the image to compensate for the overly yellowish tint imparted by the bulbs. This comes closer to being how your eye would see it. In this case, however, you may find that you are a warm dragonfly person instead of a cold butterfly person. Most of the Christmas tree photos were taken with the Tungsten color balance turned on.
Here are what some of the trees looked like. Click on any image to make it larger, then click on the left or right side to move through the gallery.
I try not to be back here in January because this is how I remember the month: gray, gloomy and cloudy, with just a hint of color from time to time to keep you from going bonkers. My February photo is a bit more colorful.
P.O. Box 53
75 Church Street, Altenburg, Missouri 63732
Open daily 10:00am – 4:00pm (free admission)
Telephone: 573-824-6070 Email: info@altenburgmuseum.org
536 Broadway; Cape Girardeau, MO 63701 (at the corner of Broadway and Frederick across from Shivelbine’s)
Telephone: 573-339-1301 Email: info@capeantiqueshop.com