LOCAL HISTORIC LOG HOME TO BE RAZED AFTER STUDY

Developer Stephen Strom sent a message to area historians this week.

Take photos, take measurements, take a tour, but the Meyer farmhouse is beyond preservation and must be demolished.

Strom recently purchased part of the Emil "Jim" Meyer farm, including the retired farmer's birthplace off Lexington Street. The developer said he must tear down the house before it falls down, and sent a letter to various preservation organizations inviting members to examine the structure Saturday, May 18.

Meyer, who had to move from a newer house in 1992 to make way for Lexington Street, now lives with his sister not far from the log structure. Today, he only owns 2 1/2 acres of farmland.

"I'll try to be there that Saturday to tell them all I know about the house," Meyer said. "I'll try to make the best of it."

Meyer said he knew the building was rotted beyond repair and there was nothing to do but tear it down.

Recipients of Strom's letter said the developer was being very generous in allowing them to make the most of the log home before it was demolished.

"Lots of times, developers just mow right over things," Mary Russell, president of the Historical Association of Greater Cape Girardeau, said. "You don't always get to make a video or take pictures."

She said many people call her asking for information about old houses, and if it weren't for people photographing them before their destruction, there would be little information to give.

Russell won't be able to attend the event Strom planned but hopes to send a member of her association. She said it was fortunate Meyer planned to be there, because historians would want to know who built the house, who lived there, what they did and how they obtained the land.

Historians also like to tour old houses, looking at the joints, nails, mortaring and other physical features.

Dr. Frank Nickell with the Center for Regional History at Southeast Missouri State University was invited, too. He plans to send historic preservation students to take a look.

He said Strom's decision to alert historians before he tore down the old house was a good one.

"As our society ages, people are becoming more conscious about the loss of history," Nickell said. "More and more people are calling the center to offer us structures to be saved."

The center can't save the structures because the method is extremely expensive. Once a log home is taken apart, it must be reassembled elsewhere and restored. The best center workers can do is tour the building and put the information they gather somewhere safe.

The group plans to gather at the site at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 18. If the weather is bad, they will be there at 4 p.m. Sunday, March 19.

Strom was unavailable for comment, but his letter said he planned to be part of the gathering.