New book about Cape Girardeau provides frightful compilation

Stories of haunted houses and things that go bump in the night are part of the lore of many towns in America, from apparitions in windows to unexplainable noises in long-abandoned houses.

Cape Girardeau is not without its share of spooky legends that have survived through the ages. Whether they are to be believed or not, ghost stories passed from one generation to the next include stories of haunted houses, graveyards and even Southeast Missouri State University.

Dr. Joel Rhodes, a history professor at Southeast, has compiled the ghost stories in his book, "Haunted Cape Girardeau: Where The River Turns A Thousand Chilling Tales."

Rhodes’ book may be purchased at Barnes and Noble and at the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. (Submitted)

"The history of Cape Girardeau before has always been of particular interest to me," Rhodes said. "But when I was contacted by a publisher to write about its ghost stories, I declined. My wife talked me into doing it. I'm intrigued by the stories, but I'm not a true believer."

According to Rhodes, the book contains local ghost stories with which many people will be familiar.

"They are stories that have survived through the decades, but I think they're just the tip of the iceberg," he said. "I'm sure there's more out there than what I've written about."

A collection of stories in "Haunted Cape Girardeau" centers around the town's supposedly haunted houses, including the Glenn House and Rose Bed Inn Bed and Breakfast. Another house, the Sherwood-Minton House, stands at the corner of Washington Avenue and North Middle Street. Built in 1846, the house was used as a hospital during Civil War battles in Cape Girardeau, and the ghosts of soldiers who died receiving treatment and that of an embittered escaped slave have been said to occupy the house.

"The Sherwood-Minton House is the queen mother of Cape's haunted houses," Rhodes said. "There's still an aura about it because of the soldiers who died there. Oddly, it's always for sale. The house has changed hands 25 times and has also stood vacant for periods of time, so people have associated that with it somehow being haunted."

Cemeteries always are a repository of ghost stories, Rhodes said, and "Haunted Cape Girardeau" contains stories about Old Lorimier Cemetery.

"Old Lorimier Cemetery has been ground zero for ghost stories in Cape for some time," he said. "There's some evidence that it was once an Indian burial ground, which conjures up all kinds of supernatural tales. But there have been an abundance of people saying that they have been tapped on the shoulder or arm when they have walked through the cemetery. Someone in a group that recently visited Cape Girardeau reported that their hair had been pulled."

As a professor, Rhodes said he would have been remiss not to include the stories that surround Southeast Missouri State University, particularly the ghosts that are said to haunt Rose Theatre.

"Theatres traditionally have a haunted history to them," he said, "and the ghost stories are perpetuated from class to class. Seat D28 in the theater is thought to have the spirit of an elderly man sitting in it. Then there's Mary, whose has been described as either a ghost of a malevolent women or that of a nice little girl."

The ghost stories in "Haunted Cape Girardeau" also include tales about ghosts in the city's old downtown and on byways such as Spook Hollow and Bloomfield Road, Rhodes said.

"Haunted Cape Girardeau" is for sale at Barnes and Noble in Cape Girardeau in the local history section and at the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau at 400 Broadway.

"The closer it gets to Halloween, I'll have book signings at Barnes and Noble and at the River Heritage Museum," Rhodes said.

klewis@semissourian.com

388-3635