John S. Cobb School sign dedication

Fred Lynch

Saturday, September 1, 2012

The former John S. Cobb School site, Merriwether and Ellis, memorial sign dedication Saturday, Sept. 1, 2012. In 1890, the Lincoln School was built for the education of Cape Girardeau's African-American students. The building was razed in 1954 after a fire damaged it a year earlier.

A memorial sign is unveiled at the site of the former Lincoln/John S. Cobb School Saturday, Sept. 1, 2012 at Merriwether and Ellis streets in Cape Girardeau. From left, front row, are Dick Kent Withers with the Historic Preservation Commission; Joyce Cobb, Linda Cobb and Robert Sheppard Cobb, great-grandchildren of John S. Cobb; back row: Mayor Harry Rediger and Alyssa Lage, vice-chair, Historic Preservation Commission.
Mayor Harry Rediger speaks at the memorial sign dedication at the site of the former Lincoln/John S. Cobb School.
City planner Ryan Shrimplin speaks at the memorial sign dedication at the site of the former Lincoln/John S. Cobb School.
Ed Pikes, chairman of the John S. Cobb Sign Committee, speaks at the memorial sign dedication.

Linda Cobb, great-granddaughter of John S. Cobb, speaks at the memorial sign dedication.
Joyce Cobb, great-granddaughter of John S. Cobb, speaks at the memorial sign dedication, with her brother, Robert Sheppard Cobb, right.
Louise Duncan shares memories of the John S. Cobb School.
The site of the former John S. Cobb School is now the Southeast Missouri Regional Crime Lab.
Classmates of John S. Cobb School attend the sign dedication.

Classmates of John S. Cobb School listen to memories from Louise Duncan.
John S. Cobb School alumni pose after the memorial sign dedication.
In 1954, the John S. Cobb School was razed after being damaged by a fire in March, 1953. All that remains of the structure is the gymnasium, which has been incorporated into the current building, the Southeast Missouri Regional Crime Lab.