Cape County History Center to reopen, add research annex

For five years, the Cape Girardeau County History Center at 102 S. High Street in Jackson has served as a resource for people looking to learn more about the region's rich history.

Now, in addition to existing display cases in the main Center, a research annex is taking appointments for researchers to delve into collections too fragile or valuable for public viewing.

Earlier this year, the History Center closed to the public amid recommendations to help slow the spread of COVID-19, and while the reason for the closure is tragic, said History Center director Carla Jordan, the leadership and staff at the Center took the down time as an opportunity to finish remodeling in the Center and put the final touches on the Annex.

The Center serves as a hub, Jordan said, with fast-rotating exhibits and secure, climate-controlled archives in the basement, where "beautiful collections of photographs, manuscripts and other documents" are stored in the secure basement.

But, Jordan said, since there is always something going on at the Center, it's not an ideal spot for research.

Books sit on shelves inside the Cape Girardeau County Historical Society Research Annex on Thursday, June 4, 2020, in Jackson.Jacob Wiegand ~ jwiegand@semissourian.com

Enter the Research Annex.

The storefront at 110 S. High Street, owned by Hoffmann Holdings LLC, is remodeled and furnished. It's lined with tall bookcases and with a cherry-wood conference table ready for researchers, and Jordan said the space will be open for appointments beginning July 1.

The collections include rare gems that are important to researchers, Jordan said: field notes from the Civil War, manuscripts on Southeast Missouri families, the Lorimier Founders Collection (which includes furniture, personal effects and documents from the family and descendants of Louis Lorimier, Cape Girardeau's founder) and other items help tell the story of Southeast Missouri.

The collections are cataloged, and, Jordan said, being open by appointment means that research assistance can be provided -- archivists and historians can be on hand to answer questions or provide additional research materials.

Executive board librarian Mary Jo Shelton, librarian Beverly Hahs and collection cataloger Alice Ireland put in hundreds of hours constructing a database of items and descriptions for the Founders Collection, Jordan said.

But that's not all the Research Annex offers. The collections also include a "nice start" on a collection of family genealogy books from the region, information on regional history, businesses, parks and more, and free access to ancestry.com.

The public is welcome to browse, Shelton said.

"We do have a protocol for research, as all libraries do," Shelton said.

Researchers will be asked to fill out a form specifying their area of research, so the staff members can find related materials ahead of the appointment, Jordan said.

"We have people queued up for research," Jordan said.

Whether researchers want to know about their Aunt Edith or dive into the history of the railroad industry in Cape Girardeau County, those resources are in house, Jordan said.

Shelton said the Research Annex has already fielded questions from a family in another state with roots in Cape Girardeau County, who needed information from a book that is no longer in print but the Center has a copy.

Shelton added that she's pleased the Annex will have so many artifacts to display in the annex. "There's a story behind everything," she said.

The new site will not duplicate any museum or library services in Cape Girardeau County, Jordan said, and the History Center works closely with the Archive Center at 112 E. Washington St. in Jackson, the State Historical Society of Missouri and area library systems.

Jordan hopes to collaborate with all historical sites in the area, too, she said, and has plans for workshops on family history and folk art, among others.

Future plans also include more filing cabinets and scanners, Jordan said, adding that financial contributions from donors would be very helpful on that front.

Researchers interested in making an appointment may call (573) 979-5170. More information is available on the Cape Girardeau County History Center's Facebook page.

The History Center itself will reopen to the public June 11, with a maximum of 10 people inside at once. Masks, hand-washing and social distancing are all required, Jordan said.

Renovations completed at the Center include new restrooms, a sprinkler system and improved storage areas in the basement for the archives.

New exhibits include a display on Louis Houck and his influence on Cape Girardeau, and another on the Cape Girardeau and Jackson railway.

The Houck exhibit is the Center's Missouri Bicentennial project, Jordan noted.

A Native American pottery exhibit showing pieces from the last Mississippian era before European expansion is still up, as it was installed only a short time before the Center closed to the public amid coronavirus concerns.