Crisis on Themis Street: The day Cape Girardeau almost lost the college

Alexander Ross decided to attend a public meeting of the Board of Regents as an onlooker. Little did he know that he would play a pivotal role in the history of Cape Girardeau that afternoon.

When the Southeast Missouri Normal School was first authorized, competition erupted between Cape Girardeau and Arcadia, Missouri, to land the plum. Arcadia, located in Iron County, offered an attractive package: the existing Arcadia College campus plus considerable land holdings. Cape was able to offer a bid with a higher dollar amount, but it relied heavily on bonds.

After visiting both towns, the regents voted 4-3 in favor of Cape on Oct. 22, 1873.

Supporters of Arcadia didn't give up, though. At the next board meeting on Dec. 1, held at the parlor of the St. Charles Hotel, some board members raised doubts about whether Cape could sell the bonds. The city was already drowning in debt from a failed attempt to bring a railroad here.

Bystanders at the meeting were stunned when a motion was made to reject Cape's bid because of insufficient cash, and instead award the normal school to Arcadia. Alexander Ross stood up and begged for a 30-minute recess to try to raise the needed cash.

The board granted his request, and the clock starting ticking. Ross rushed to meet his friend, Otto Buehrmann, a prominent merchant. After examining the contents of his safe, Buehrmann agreed to underwrite $20,000 in bonds. Buehrmann suggested that they ask Robert Sturdivant, the owner of Sturdivant Bank, to cover the rest.

So the two men dashed to Sturdivant's office on Themis Street. The banker took his sweet time in making a decision while he looked over his books. With little time to spare, he finally agreed to help. Sturdivant and Buehrmann signed a slip of paper that said, "We will guarantee the speedy sale of the bonds offered by the city."

Clutching this important document, Ross ran across Themis Street to the hotel, arriving just as the 30 minutes expired. The board was mollified and proceeded with opening the normal school in Cape.

By the end of the day, Sturdivant and Buehrmann had been able to sell $50,000 in bonds. The list of buyers included many recognizable names from local history: Andrew Giboney, Louis Houck, W.C. Ranney, Charles E. Rodney, John Albert, Sebastian Albert, Linus Sanford, P.R. Van Frank, Jacob H. Burrough, Louis Klostermann, George C. Thilenius and others.

If it hadn't been for the quick thinking and personal connections of Alexander Ross, Southeast Missouri State University wouldn't be in Cape Girardeau today. Instead we might be talking about Arcadia Valley State University, Home of the Iron Miners.

For more information:

"Various Names Illustrate Many Changes at State College" by Judith Ann Crow, Southeast Missourian, Nov. 5, 1965

"Normal to University: a Century of Service" by Arthur Mattingly

"Missouri Railroad Pioneer: The Life of Louis Houck" by Joel Rhodes