From the archive: Lexington extension forces razing of historic log home

In the spring of 1992, Emil "Jim" Meyer knew that progress was marching toward him in the form of the construction of Lexington Street. He could see the work inching closer and closer to his family farm and the brick house at 2010 Perryville Road in which he lived most of his life. He was told he had to be out of the house by Aug. 14.

The city took slightly less than four acres of the Meyer farm for Lexington, and the rest was sold off over the years for residential subdivisions, such as Northfield and the Meyer Drive area. By March 1995, word came that the log home in which Meyer was born would be razed.

Emil "Jim" Meyer, 79, stands in the yard of his 50-acre farm at 2019 Perryville Road in this unpublished photo taken in June 1992. (Mark Sterkel ~ Southeast Missourian archive)

Published March 13, 1995, in the Southeast Missourian:

LOCAL HISTORIC LOG HOME TO BE RAZED AFTER STUDY

By Heidi Nieland
SOUTHEAST MISSOURIAN

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.

Published March 19, 1995, in the Southeast Missourian:

Emil "Jim" Meyer peered through a deterioring and slanting window frame of his boyhood log cabin home on Lexington Avenue. Meyer was born in the Greenberry Hobbs cabin in 1913. He lived there with his mother and father, Julius and Lulu Meyer, his brother, Martin Meyer, and his two sisters, Helen and Marie Meyer. (Chris Stanfield ~ Southeast Missourian archive)

ONE LAST LOOK AT REMNANT OF BYGONE ERA

By Bill Heitland
SOUTHEAST MISSOURIAN

With a look of pride, Emil "Jim" Meyer pointed to the 157-year-old logs inside the dilapidated structure he once called home.

"It took a lot of hard work to put this place up," said Meyer, 81. "You can see how the structure was built with hewed logs. And that, over there, was the fireplace," he said, pointing to an area along the wall.

"I know I can't save any of it; the inside is too rotted away. But it's still going to be hard to see it all go."

Upon surveying the grounds of what was once a 175-acre tobacco farm, he said, "It helps to have a chance to meet people and talk about it all."

Steve Strom, who recently purchased the land on which history buffs strolled for a final look Saturday, accompanied Meyer on an impromptu tour. "I wish there were some way to save these old buildings, but they're just too rotted away," Strom said. "I have a lot of respect for this man," he said of Meyer. "He's quite a gentleman."

Strom has been developing what is now Northfield subdivision for the past 24 years. "We've been building around this place for a number of years, and now it's time to build on the farmstead," Strom said.

The area north of Lexington between Steven Drive and Concord Place was originally developed by Greenberry Hobbs in 1838. "That's where the slaves lived," Meyer said, pointing to a piece of land just beyond the two-story log cabin. "They lived close to the house because they were still considered part of the family."

A book titled "Slaves and Slave Owners of Cape Girardeau County" includes a chapter on the home built by Hobbs. Meyer offered those curious enough to learn about the history of the farmstead a chance to see the sketches in the book and read about a home that will soon be demolished.

"Tell me what you want to know and I'll try to help you out," Meyer said. "There's plenty to talk about. Did I tell you that Greenberry Hobbs was a full-blooded Indian?"

Meyer was born in the log cabin in 1913. His family moved up the hill on what is now Perryville Road in 1920. Meyer returned for visits to the log cabin over the years, however.

He provided a list of people who lived in the cabin after 1920. One of the last to reside in the home was Carl Farrar in the 1940s. "He worked for my dad on the farm," Meyer said.

Meyer's father used the barns to shelter cattle and hogs. "He turned it into a crop and livestock farm," Meyer said. "He sold wheat and planted corn and made it a good living."

Out of respect for Meyer and the rich history of the farm, Strom offered history buffs a final chance to take pictures and talk to one of the last owners of the house and land adjoining the northern side of Lexington.

"I thought people should get a last look and maybe record what this place looked like by taking some pictures," Strom said. Asked what he planned to do with the barns situated near the cabin, Strom replied, "I haven't decided yet."

Meyer, who had to move from a newer home in 1992 to make way for Lexington Street, now lives with his sister not far from the log structure. Today, he only owns about two-and-one-half acres of farmland.

"I'm trying to make the best of it," Meyer said, when asked if he planned on returning any time before the log home is demolished. "I'll be here to watch it go. I can handle it because I always feel like the good Lord will provide for me."

Unpublished photograph of the Emil "Jim" Meyer house, taken in March 1995. (Chris Stanfield ~ Southeast Missourian archive)

Published March 31, 1995, in the Southeast Missourian:

Emil "Jim" Meyer watched the demolition Thursday of his boyhood home -- a 157-year-old log cabin where he was born in 1913 -- along Lexington Avenue east of Perryville Road. Most of the hewed logs, some still with bark, were salvaged. The old cabin is being removed to make way for a subdivision. (Fred Lynch ~ Southeast Missourian archive)

In the fall of 1995, Stephen Strom concluded the big barn on the Meyer farm would also have to be demolished to make way for land development.

For the next three years he tried to find a new home for the historic oak log barn. He offered it to the various public and government bodies, but for various reasons was turned down. Until, at last, according to a 1998 Southeast Missourian, he found "the perfect spot" at the Saxon Lutheran Memorial at Frohna, Missouri.

Emil "Jim" Meyer passed away on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2001, at the Lutheran Home.