A FLAIR FOR THE OLD SOUTH; LEE RAGLAND'S `SOUTHERN MANSION' IN DOWNTOWN CAPE GIRARDEAU PART OF TODAY'S TOUR OF HISTORIC HOMES

Visit Lee Ragland's house and he'll meet you at the door. His first words will likely be "Welcome y'all."

Step onto his front porch amid the flags and ivy and you'll hear music coming from inside, most likely reminiscent of the old south.

But beware as you venture inside.

"Some people are overwhelmed when they first walk in," Ragland admits, "and they usually think I'm a little eccentric."

Ragland has spent the last eight years converting his house into a "southern mansion." While some compare the home to a Civil War museum, Ragland said it was always important to him to keep it warm and livable.

"I love the old South. People took time to enjoy their meals. Conversation was polite, not like the language you hear today," he said.

"And people generally had more respect for others than they do today."

Ragland, a bail bondsman, is a history buff who loves recreating the old South, especially the Civil War era. He purchased his home, at 9 N. Fountain in downtown Cape Girardeau, in 1983.

The home is included in today's house tour, sponsored by the Historic Association of Greater Cape Girardeau. The tour, "Through the Keyhole, Part 3," is from 1-5 p.m. and begins at the Common Pleas Courthouse Park.

Other downtown homes will also be featured. But the tour marks the first time Ragland has opened his home to the public.

Done in pale colors, the rooms in the house are all named, and each one is filed with furniture, nick-knacks and photographs from the 1850s time period. Ragland named his house the Finley-Lee House (his full name is Lee Finley Ragland.)

"When I purchased the house, I was real interested in its history," Ragland said. "And because I love the South, I thought, `Why not copy the southern lifestyle and decorate it in a Civil War motif?'"

The house, built around 1848, has a sandstone foundation and walls that are 18 inches thick. The porch was added in the 1920s, Ragland said.

Once inside, you'll most likely be led into the Stonewall Jackson Parlor, where Ragland frequently entertains (Riverfest parties are annual events), and where he enjoys drinking French coffee with friends.

The pale walls, trimmed in light blue-green, are filled with photographs of Ragland and his girlfriend, Victoria Russell, dressed in 1850s costumes, and pictures of Ragland's descendants.

His father, Edwin F. Ragland, a retired chief administrative law judge for the Missouri Division of Workers' Compensation, was an Air Force pilot during World War II.

He flew with the famed "Flying Tigers" Chinese/American Composite Wing, and completed some 35 missions over mainland China.

Lee Ragland is also a direct descendant of Benjamin Douglas Ragland, a major with the Confederate cavalry.

Also in the parlor, and scattered throughout the house, are memorabilia from Ragland's favorite movie, "Gone With the Wind."

Ragland explained that he found most of the items in his collection. But friends and relatives who know of his penchant for Civil War-era memorabilia often contribute to the collection through gift-giving, he said.

Another often-seen edition to the parlor are Ragland's two cats, Estella and F. Lee.

Other rooms in the house are the Delta Queen State Room (the bedroom), and the Mosby-Squires Library.

The bedroom is modeled after photographs of General Robert E. Lee's bedroom. A hand-carved canopied bed Ragland found in North Carolina and an armoire from England were acquired soon after he moved into the house.

The guest room is also important to the old-fashioned surroundings. Ragland explained, "Back then, you'd load up your stuff and, for weeks, you and your family would stay with friends."

The kitchen is the only room in the house that brings one back to present day, although a folding screen hides the room from view.

Ragland said he visits New Orleans every year and often tours the South. That's where he got the idea to add a gazebo to his backyard.

"And of course, I had to have a weeping willow," he said.

Ragland said he doesn't mind when people say his house is eccentric. "It's also very livable," he said. "And you can't get bored."

Tickets for the house tour are available at the courthouse park.