Parson visits Fort D for Bicentennial Tour

Gov. Mike Parson visited and toured Fort D Historic Site on Monday in Cape Girardeau as part of his statewide Bicentennial Tour celebrating the 200th anniversary of Missouri’s statehood.

Also in attendance were Judge Stephen Limbaugh Jr. and Cape Girardeau Mayor Bob Fox. After a welcome from Fox, Limbaugh spoke about the history of Missouri and Fort D.

“This is a monument to and a commemoration of Cape Girardeau’s participation in the Civil War, the consequences of which slavery was abolished from this nation,” Limbaugh said.

He explained Fort D was one of four forts in Cape Girardeau made to protect the city from Confederates during the Civil War, about 40 years after Missouri entered the United States as a slave state so Maine could enter as a free state.

Parson acknowledged Limbaugh’s speech and said, “The one thing the bicentennial represents, why I have been out here trying to promote it across the state, is because the bicentennial reflects all of us that are here today. It’s about our past — good, bad or indifferent. We all need to know where we came from, where we’ve been, and why we’re here today ... and to be able to really emphasize why Missouri values are so important.”

Those who work at Fort D salute the American flag during the governor's visit to Fort D Historic Site on Monday in Cape Girardeau as part of his state Bicentennial Tour.Sarah Yenesel

The governor also invited the public to the upcoming Bicentennial Inaugural Parade and Ball on Sept. 18 in Jefferson City to showcase every part of the state and its significant history.

At the end of his speech, Parson said it is important to acknowledge the past for the future.

“So it’s about the next generation of our kids and our grandkids, that they may experience what all of us get to experience today here in Cape Girardeau,” Parson said. “The only way to do that, is if we preserve it. You have to preserve the history of who you are, to be able to tell the story. So those kids and those next generations can pass that down.”

When asked what he wants to see improve in the bicentennial year, Parson said, “I think we’ve seen a lot of trials in the last year. ... So I think for the future of our state, when you think of the history of our state, all the things we’ve been through in 200 years, I think it just says to everybody, you know, ‘We’ve been through tough times before, we’ve always been able to recover from those tough times and we will now.’ So I think it’s a good history lesson for all of us.”