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Fair ~ Tornado Watch Tuesday, May 21, 2013 |
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Missouri's Most Endangered Historic Places list to be announced Tuesday in Bloomfield
Posted Sunday, May 19, at 10:52 PM Each year, Missouri Preservation, the statewide nonprofit organization for historic preservation, announces a list of the most endangered historic sites in Missouri. The announcement takes place at one of the chosen sites, and this year Southeast Missouri is in the spotlight...
The old First National Bank building at the corner of Main and Broadway will be demolished in the near future, joining a long list of landmarks razed in Cape Girardeau to make way for parking lots. When the bank was opened with much fanfare in 1956, the Southeast Missourian's coverage used a variety of superlatives to describe the development: "modern", "progressive", "beautiful" and "fully equipped."...
Apple Creek Presbyterian Church near Pocahontas (organized 1821, constructed 1873) provides the most authentic 19th Century experience of any local church -- it has no indoor plumbing or electricity. Instead, the interior is lit with gas lights. Each year during the Mississippi River Valley Scenic Drive, the church is opened for an evening of musical performances...
As I've previously described, Giant City State Park in Illinois has a variety of peculiar rock formations. The park, however, is missing something that other state parks, such as Ferne Clyffe, have in abundance: waterfalls. Or maybe not. I had seen reports describing a waterfall near the Red Cedar Trail within the park, but these reports were vague about the location. Unfortunately, the Red Cedar Trail is a 12-mile loop, and that's a little too long to hike on a whim...
The news was scary: a wildfire had broken out at Little Grand Canyon and it had access to a huge amount of fallen timber from wind and ice storms over the last few years. Luckily, the end result was not as scary. The fire was contained in short order, burning 18 acres, and the trail was reopened to the public two days later...
In a recent blog, I described the team effort that produced the Missouri state flag, as well as the showdown in the state legislature between two contending designs. Marie Oliver's design won against a flag created by Dr. Numa R. Holcomb, a state representative from Kansas City...
April is the peak month for wildflowers in Missouri. Flowers can be found along many trails, but one sure-fire location is Seventy-Six Conservation Area in Perry County. I've visited Seventy-Six numerous times over the years -- including one memorable day filled with armadillo sightings. Each visit, it seems that the Conservation Department has made additional improvements to the area, including the establishment of the "Wilkinson Trail", a looped nature trail...
The creation of the Missouri state flag as depicted by the downtown floodwall mural Marie Watkins Oliver has been called the "Betsy Ross of Missouri" for her work to create a Missouri state flag. Mrs. Oliver was featured prominently in the recent centennial celebration for the flag. However, she wasn't the only person who had a role in the flag's design...
At first glance, the house at 818 North Fountain Street in Cape Girardeau doesn't look very special. However, a portion of the siding has been removed, exposing an unexpected treasure: a log house. Clearly this home is much older than it looks. The north side of the house offers another clue to its age: a foundation of rough sandstone...
In the aftermath of the flood of 2011, I described how the landscape at Lake Wappapello had been drastically changed by the overflow of the emergency spillway. The surge of water had created a badlands of pinnacles and crevices. This wasn't the only lake in the region that was hammered by the insane amount of rainfall that spring. Bay Creek Lake Number 5 in Pope County, Illinois, better known as Millstone Lake, also experienced an overflow of its emergency spillway...
Jackson, long known as the "City of Beautiful Homes, Parks, Schools and Churches," is on the verge of losing one of its beautiful homes. Considered to be the second-oldest home in Jackson, the Frizel-Welling House at 209 W. Main Street is currently for sale. Unless a buyer can be found that would be able to maintain and repair the home, it is likely that it will be purchased by a nearby church and demolished to make way for a parking lot...
Cape Girardeau is now home to one of Southeast Missouri's most peculiar landmarks: a bridge that leads straight into a wall. To make room for the new casino, North Main Street was rerouted to the west, leaving a dead-end bridge over Sloan Creek. The levee gate at the southern end of the bridge was recently closed, permanently barricading the street...
River-to-River Trail Society announces Spring 2013 hiking schedule The River-to-River Trail Society announces its schedule of guided hikes in and about the Shawnee National Forest for spring, 2013. All hikes are open to the public free of charge. All hikes begin at 10:00 a.m., unless otherwise announced. Most hikes are of moderate difficulty, designed for people in reasonably good health who have done some walking. Boots or sturdy shoes are highly recommended. Hikers should bring their own water and a snack. No dogs, please...
I've been exploring Southern Illinois for many years, and I continue to be surprised by the tendency for spectacular natural landmarks to be located within shouting distance of highways and railroads. You don't have to hike for miles through the wilderness to find bluffs, rock shelters, or natural arches in the Shawnee National Forest. Often they are only a few hundred yards away from the trappings of modern civilization -- but you have to know where to look...
"You've got to be kidding!" That was my reaction after reviewing the photos I had taken at the Feb. 2 "Eagle Trek" event at Kaskaskia Lock & Dam near Chester, Illinois. I had accidentally taken a photo that featured two flying bald eagles, but I didn't realize it at the time...
The final weekend of 2012 brought a rare treat: a thick blanket of snow combined with days off to enjoy it. These snowstorms are few and far between, but the next time we get a quality snowfall, I recommend visiting the Snake Road at LaRue/Pine Hills in Southern Illinois...
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The webmaster of seMissourian.com and its sister newspapers, James Baughn has lost track of the number of websites he manages. On the side, he maintains even more sites, including Bridgehunter.com, LandmarkHunter.com, TheCapeRock.com, and Humorix.
Hot topics Missouri's Most Endangered Historic Places list to be announced Tuesday in Bloomfield(  3 ~ 9:29 AM, May 20)
Cape Girardeau's first modern bank
Follow the not-so-yellow brick road
Blog with few words: "Gaslight sing" at Apple Creek Presbyterian Church
The waterfall at Giant City
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