George E. Alt and the Alt family legacy

William Alt's son, George E., preferred a military career and held a captaincy in the British Army. However, he immigrated to manage his father's land and business interests in Missouri, assisted by local lawyer Benjamin F. Davis. It is unclear whether William Alt came with George when he first arrived in the early 1890s.

As an eligible bachelor, George participated in the upper-class social activities of Cape Girardeau. At one of these events at the Houck estate, he met Virginia Cahoon. Virginia was the daughter of B.B. Cahoon, a lawyer and large-scale landowner from Fredericktown. The couple married Sept. 14, 1895, and took a honeymoon trip to England, where they were formally presented to Queen Victoria. William Alt's wedding gift to his son and Virginia was 2,520 acres of the swamp land. Their oldest son, Daniel William Benson Alt, arrived in 1897, but tragically died in 1902. A second son, George T., arrived in 1899.

The Alts built a log home at the Blue Hole, the site of the present-day quarry along South Sprigg Street. The original plan was construction of a large house on the nearby bluffs afterward. However, Capt. Alt acquired lots on North Pacific, where they built a large home in 1904. The house was the scene of many social events for the next nine years. The spacious home sat opposite Themis Street, with a view toward the Common Pleas Courthouse.

George Alt and family moved to Cobham, Virginia, in 1913, where George managed a plantation. Most remaining Alt land in Cape Girardeau County sold at that time, and the family kept only the Pacific Street home.

George E. Alt never became a U.S. citizen and retained his captain's commission in the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. When World War I started, he sailed for England to rejoin the regiment. He had attained his wish to command troops, but perished in the Second Battle of Ypres, Belgium, on April 18, 1915 -- the first Cape Girardeau resident to die in the war.

George Alt's estate settlement occurred in England, although a copy of his will is in Cape Girardeau County as well. The last remnants of the great swamp land purchase by William Alt sold as part of the settlement of Capt. Alt's estate. Trinity Lutheran Church purchased the Alt home for use as a church hall.

After Capt. Alt's death, Virginia and son, George, remained in Virginia, moving to New York in 1919. The two returned to Cape Girardeau in 1937. Virginia Alt was active in civic organizations in Cape Girardeau, including the Wednesday Club, of which she was a charter member. She lived until April 8, 1957. Her son, George T. "Terry" Alt, fought in World War II and later because the director of the Cape Girardeau County Draft Board.

Demolition of the Alt's impressive log home at the Blue Hole occurred in 1932 for expansion of the Marquette Cement Quarry. Construction of an addition to Trinity School's in 1967 necessitated razing the Alt mansion.