Tom Neumeyer's book, 'Cape Girardeau, Then & Now,' shows how city has evolved

Tom Neumeyer has attempted to preserve history with a new photo documentary book, "Cape Girardeau, Then and Now."

The book contains 120 pairings of old photographs of the city's businesses, homes, churches, schools, parks, entertainment venues, civic buildings, public works facilities and country highways-turned-city main roads with current images of the sites and a brief explanation by Neumeyer.

Neumeyer's collaboration on the project with Dr. Frank Nickell began over a cup of coffee at Cup 'N' Cork more than four years ago. The two have known each other for 25 years and previously worked on a Cape Girardeau history book with Dr. Joel Rhodes.

"I thought it would be great to juxtapose historical archival images with the same scenes the way they are now," Neumeyer said. "For some people it creates memories, for others it brings memories back. I hope it shows the foundation for what the people before us did, the efforts that they went through."

Aside from the images, which tell the visual story of how the city has changed over the years, the book features 10 essays by longtime Cape Girardeau residents. The essays cover topics from the 1949 tornado that hit the city to the smells recalled by visits to popular businesses or offices.

Over the course of his career, Neumeyer took and collected many images of the city. He got other photographs and historical information from Nickell, director of the Center for Regional History at Southeast Missouri State University, Dr. Lisa Speer of the university's Special Collection and Archives housed at Kent Library and local residents with photograph collections.

Through interviews with citizens and research, Neumeyer put together a 290-page book.

"There's not a whole lot of information out there, so it was a matter of digging," he said. "We had some adventures and opportunities along the way," he said.

Over time, more landmarks and stories were added.

Although many of the pairings cover the downtown area, Neumeyer said his intent was to cover the entire town. The book contains images of U.S. 61, now also known as Kingshighway, when it was considered on the edge of the city. Many businesses have replaced what was once a drive-in theater and motels.

Neumeyer said he tried to make the historical information as anecdotal as he could by talking to local families with colorful histories. He said he wants the book to help people appreciate the efforts of historic preservation.

"Here in Cape we are really blessed to have this history that goes back over two centuries to when the Native Americans were the only ones here," he said.

Fountain Park is a special place for Neumeyer. His grandfather, Ed Neumeyer, helped start the park when he worked with Missouri utilities. Four generations later, the Neumeyer family is still caring for the park.

"A few years ago, we almost lost it," Neumeyer said. "An organization wanted to use it for another purpose, and a group of people stood up and said no. It shows the determination of the people of Cape Girardeau to both preserve and change for the better. Fortunately the people who lived here had the foresight to preserve."

Neumeyer said he also hoped the book would serve as somewhat of a family album for the city.

"Parents have pictures of their kids, and you can't see any day-to-day difference in your child, but when you look at the pictures you see how they have changed," he said.

Nickell helped Neumeyer find a publisher for the book through the Center for Regional History.

"This has emerged as an interesting publication," Nickell said. "Most of the books of the 'then and now' books are just picture to picture, but we tried to do is put something else inside."

Nickell said he thought the book really needed to have the essays for a special touch. He said Riki Erlbacher's essay about the Mississippi River is a good example.

"No family in Cape Girardeau has a longer connection with the river than the Erlbacher family," Nickell said.

Nickell has worked on 15 history books, but likes the timeline of significant events, chart of the population growth of the city and list of all the city's mayors in Neumeyer's final product.

"People are reading about the history of Cape Girardeau, and they are finding it interesting," he said.

Neumeyer and Nickell will host a book signing from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Cape Girardeau Public Library. A selection of photographs from the book will also hang in the library through the end of March. The book is available for purchase in several downtown retail outlets as well as the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau, Old Town Cape and the Crisp Museum.