Ice storm ruined champion tree

Vandals have hurt Old Lorimier Cemetery the most during the 200 years of its existence. In 1992 a fence was erected to try to prevent almost weekly attacks on gravestones. Last year a motion-activated security system was installed to provide more protection to the cemetery's historical artifacts, which include the graves of Cape Girardeau founding father Louis Lorimier, railroad entrepreneur Louis Houck and George Washington's cousin George Lewis.

But recent ice storms did the kind of damage vandals recently have been prevented from doing. They destroyed the cemetery's Missouri state champion sugarberry tree and others, and falling limbs damaged eight to 12 headstones. Dangerous hanging limbs forced the city to close the cemetery until they can be removed.

"This time it's the elements of Mother Nature," said city sexton Terrell Weaver.

The sugarberry tree is in ruins, with only the trunk and a single limb still upright. The tree stood 95 feet tall in the northeastern corner of the cemetery and had a span of 209 feet. It was at least 190 years old.

A previous storm had damaged the tree somewhat, but the ice storms did it in. Most of the tree is broken over and wedged in at the top. "We're going to have quite a challenge to get that down," Weaver said.

The gates are locked around Old Lorimier Cemetary following severe ice storm damage. (Aaron Eisenhauer)

Sugarberry trees are soft on the inside and produce a fruit favored by birds in winter. Most reach only 60 to 80 feet in height and have a lifespan of up to 150 years.

City planning technician Brenda Schloss and historic preservation consultant Terri Foley are about to begin a damage assessment at the cemetery, which is on the National Register of Historic Places and on the city's Landmarks Register. Part of their work must wait until public works crews can get the limbs off those headstones. Schloss has photographed much of the damage.

Ken Eftink, the city's development services director, said the assessment will be sent to the State Emergency Management Agency.

Some of fallen limbs in the cemetery have been cut up, but many remain on the ground and many more broken limbs are still aloft. Weaver said the public works department hopes to accomplish more at the cemetery this week. "We need to get the dangers down on the ground and get everything cleaned up and removed completely," he said.

Once the hanging limbs are on the ground, the cemetery could be reopened to visitors, he said.

Public works director Dan Muser said the city does not plan on hiring outside help to do the work. "We're going as we can," he said. He said the muddiness of the ground has prevented crews from getting into some parts of the cemetery with heavy equipment.

Weaver also oversees Fairmont Cemetery and the New Lorimier Cemetery in the city. He said eight or nine trees were lost in those cemeteries. "It's the same situation," he said. "Many tops of trees have been damaged, and the rest of the tree will have to be taken down in two or three years because there's so much damage."

Restoring the cemeteries is going to be a long process, Weaver said.

An equation that incorporates the circumference, height and the crown spread is used to determine state champion trees. Cape Girardeau County is still home to 12 of them: the American sycamore, spicebush, white oak, Shumard oak, Eastern hophornbeam, shagbark hickory, pignut hickory, black hickory, winged elm, flowering dogwood, American beech and bigtooth aspen.

sblackwell@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137