LONG-AWAITED CEMETERY FENCE BEING BUILT; WORK COINCIDES WITH OLD LORIMIER BEING DESIGNATED LANDMARK

A long-awaited project to erect a fence for Old Lorimier Cemetery began this week with SEMO Fence Co. installing the chain-link portion of the fence.

Erection of the fence coincides with the Cape Girardeau City Council's expected action next week to make the 150-year-old cemetery the city's first designated local historic landmark.

The site repeatedly has been struck by vandals over the years. Last year more than 80 stones were damaged in several incidents, which prompted a grassroots effort to raise funds to erect a fence around the cemetery.

John Schneider, who's a member of the city's Historic Preservation Commission and spearheaded the fund-raising campaign, said Thursday's he's "elated" the fence finally is going up.

"I couldn't believe it when I saw those holes going in the ground," Schneider said. "Everything you do, there's a high point and then things kind of get bogged down and difficult.

"But I feel really good about it now. Everybody pitched in and did equally well, but I do take satisfaction in it finally going up."

The chain-link portion of the fence will be built along the cemetery's east, south and north sides with an ornamental, wrought-iron fence erected along Lorimier Street on the west side.

"It will have the appropriate gates so people can get in and get out," Schneider said. "We're not trying to keep people from visiting the cemetery; we just want to be able to do something to help secure that site a little better."

Schneider said the city planned to put in the ornamental fence first, but that project now has been delayed until next month.

"We haven't really finalized the agreement with the contractor yet," he said. "They've got several weeks of work ahead of them before they can get to it.

"What we're hoping is the chain-link portion will be installed in a week to 10 days, and the wrought-iron portion is expected to go up in early October."

Schneider said the fence project was delayed when donations pledged earlier this year failed to come in on time to buy all the materials.

The total project will cost about $20,000, which was raised through private donations.

In July, the city's Historic Preservation Commission made the cemetery its first landmark designation regulating construction, alteration, demolition or excavation on the site.

The cemetery, which dates to the mid-19th century, is one of the city's oldest landmarks. Markers for the more than 1,100 marked graves represent styles of monuments covering two centuries.

Schneider said the fence and the "additional teeth" in the historic preservation ordinance should aid the city's efforts to preserve the cemetery.

The city council will consider approval of the ordinance when it meets Wednesday.

Among those buried in the cemetery are Louis Lorimier, the founder of Cape Girardeau; Louis Houck, an early prominent resident; George Lewis, reportedly a second cousin to President George Washington; Uriah Brock, a Revolutionary War soldier; George Greene, a Common Pleas Court judge regarded as the founder of the Cape Girardeau public schools; and Alexander Buckner, Missouri's third U.S. senator and a national leader in the Masonic Lodge.