Part 2, and the final installment of my Missouri trip last weekend!...If you're curious why I was there, read this and this first...
I have to admit that I'm A) terrible with geography, B) have never been to Missouri or anyway close to the Midwest, and C) had no idea where Cape Girardeau was located - turns out it's in the Southeast of the state and located right along the Mississippi River...
The wall above was built in 1964 to protect against floods, and the "Mississippi River Tales" mural (that covers 1800 sq ft) was completed in 2004 by Chicago mural artist Thomas Melvin.
The railroad in front of the wall was built by Louis Houck, who is Taz's stepfather's great-grandfather.
There's a story of how he became known as the "Father of Southeast Missouri", and if you're interested check out this book. I met the author, Joel Rhodes, at the reunion party on Saturday and he's certainly an expert on the subject! This portion of the mural depicts Hock bringing in the railroad in 1880...
Cape Girardeau is saturated in history, and the people who live there are very proud of their heritage. Most of the people I met at the reunion had first, middle, and last names of their ancestors. But almost everything I learned about the family history actually came from a non-family member, Dr. Frank Nichol, a professor of history, and the "go-to" person for the most in-depth and accurate stories of this town...
We had a tour of the town with 35+ other family members, hosted by Dr. Nichols. He took us to the riverfront, cemeteries, a fire-house turned museum, a university, and a historic home. He lectured for 8 hours straight in 110 degree heat, and I'm pretty sure he would have been happy to continue if we didn't have a reunion party to get to...
There's a lot more to see after the jump!....
There were a couple things that caught my eye in the little police station/firehouse turned historic museum..
Can you imagine typing newspapers on this?! What an amazing machine!
And of course I had to photograph this Native American turquoise piece. I'm not sure if its the real deal or a replica, but its a beautiful necklace!
We had lunch at this restaurant right across from the river. Good luck if you're a vegetarian visiting Missouri because BBQ is BIG here! I had delicious pulled pork sandwiches Friday and Saturday. Baked beans and creamy mac-and-cheese are must-have sides! (I was too busy eating to photograph any of my food on this trip!)
We finished off the tour at this "Briarwood" home. Previously a family-owned-home, its current tenants (who bought it several years ago) were kind enough to let our group of 35 inside for a private tour! Doesn't it look like something out of the movie Pleasantville?!
But it doesn't hold a candle to the "Elmwood" estate, where the reunion dinner was held on Saturday night...
This 200 year old family-owned home was modeled after a Scottish castle, and has been pretty-well preserved in its original condition.
Imagine if this was your DRIVEWAY....
The dinner was held outdoors, although we did get a tour of the inside of the house (which is filled with antiques and looks like a museum! The current owners keep everything in its original place.) I didn't snap any photos inside (didn't want to intrude!) but I did take a few shots of the lush green acres that the home sat on...
And one of a handsome boy...
The reunion dinner was great, but the whole weekend was really one big reunion, filled with lots of new and very friendly faces. Good people, green acres, great stories, and pulled-pork... I think my first trip to the (southern) Midwest was a success!!!
