Visitors tour historic sites at second Rediscover Cape

Local residents and visitors from as far away as Indiana discovered -- or rediscovered -- six historic attractions in Cape Girardeau over the weekend.

The second Rediscover Your Cape event, held Saturday and Sunday, drew more than 200 people who visited each historic site on the tour.

"I think people really got a new appreciation about the history in our area and the variety of history we have," said Jane Jackson, director of Cape Girardeau County's archive center.

The sites on the tour included Civil War Fort D, the Glenn House, the Cape River Heritage Museum, Old Lorimier Cemetery, the Red House Interpretive Center and Old St. Vincent's Church.

Brenda Schloss, a planning technician with the city, was stationed at Old Lorimier Cemetery, which was the final stop on the tour.

Boots Jessup, left, a docent at the Red House Interpretive Center, presented a bit of local history Sunday to Ronald and Susan Estes of Marble Hill, Mo., next to a display of Cape Girardeau founder Louis Lorimier. The tour was part of the Rediscover Your Cape weekend. (Fred Lynch)

"People commented about how they really enjoyed the tour and how impressed they were with it," Schloss said. "Some of the kids who were with their parents seemed really uninterested when they first showed up, but were excited after they left. Overall, it was a huge success."

The Rediscover Your Cape event was geared toward introducing new visitors to the sites and reintroducing the history to previous visitors.

"A lot of people who have lived in Cape all their lives had never been to the cemetery, and they were real interested in it," Schloss said.

The first Rediscover Your Cape was held during the Southeast Missourian's Centennial Celebration in 2005 when four sites were featured. Jackson said she would like to see it become an annual event.

"It would be great to do this every year," she said. "It gives families an opportunity to do something that's interesting but not very expensive."

Ticket proceeds were divided among the six sites on the tour.

jfreeze@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 246