Fort D supporters push to save building, build restroom as part of park tax

From the outside, the limestone-covered brick building at Cape Girardeau's Civil War Fort D site looks solid.

But beyond the gated entrance, the damage is clearly visible.

What remains of the one-story, Depression-era building is deteriorating without a roof.

The roof collapsed more than a dozen years ago. Volunteers helped remove debris from the fallen roof in April 2005.

Some wooden beams were installed to shore up the walls, but the constant exposure to the weather continues to erode it, said Jerry Kasten.

A lack of a roof is seen Monday at Fort D in Cape Girardeau.Andrew J. Whitaker

Kasten is a member of the Turner Brigade, a local group of Civil War re-enactors who set up camp and fire cannons at living-history demonstrations at the site three times a year, weather permitting.

Although the building doesn't date from the Civil War, he and others want the structure preserved. They want a new roof and a permanent restroom built on the grounds to accommodate visitors and school groups better.

There are no restrooms at the site. Portable toilets are brought in when public events are held, Kasten said.

The city owns the site, but does little more than mow the grass, he said.

"They need to save it. I think it is almost on its last leg," Kasten said as he toured the building earlier this week with fellow Fort D enthusiast Patti House.

Members of the Auxiliary Police and Civic 500 are shown Aug. 16, 1958, as they tuckpointed and did other work towards restoring the building at Fort D. From the left are Harry Gluckhertz, Ben Dietrich (Civic 500), Guy Smith, Louis Perkins, Wm. Bennett, all of the Auxiliary Police.G.D. FRONABARGER ~ Southeast Missourian archive

Improving the building and Fort D site is one of the park projects city officials are considering funding if voters extend a parks/stormwater sales tax next April.

According to city staff, the estimated $200,000 project calls for construction of a new roof, a permanent restroom and a pavilion, along with more lighting and renovations to the existing historical markers that tell the story of the site.

City officials said the project would help preserve the site, provide better security, make the park more attractive and usable for the public and create a more efficient area for programs and events.

The city council has not decided which projects to include in the tax initiative.

House said she and others are "excited" city officials are discussing possible improvements to Fort D.

Fort D, one of four Civil War forts in Cape Girardeau, is under construction in 1936. Using funds and labor from the WPA, the Louis K. Juden Post of the American Legion had the earthworks rebuilt along plans supplied by the War Department. A stone building was constructed at the center of the site, which served as a meeting place for a variety of clubs, as well as headquarters for Civil Defense in the 1950s.G.D. FRONABARGER ~ Southeast Missourian archive

"It is the right time and the right thing to do," she said of improving the blockhouse and Fort D site, which overlooks the Mississippi River in the south part of the city.

But there is no assurance this project will be funded, city manager Scott Meyer said. The project is listed near the bottom of a list of possible projects being considered by the council for funding.

'A forgotten park'

Civil War re-enactor and preservation advocate Scott House, Patti's husband, said improving the building and the site has not been on the city's "front burner."

He said Fort D has been "largely a forgotten park" over the years.

Kasten and Scott House said putting a roof on the brick structure would allow it to house displays and historical items to better tell the story of the site.

The parks and recreation department built a wooden storage shed within the roofless building to house some of the items and equipment used by the re-enactors' group including a cannon.

But no permanent displays can be set up in the building without a roof, Kasten and House said.

The lack of a roof also has forced the Fort D group to cancel school tours because of rain, House said.

In addition, vandals occasionally have climbed over the brick and stone walls, adding to the deterioration, he said.

Meyer, the city manager, said members of the Fort D group "have been great caretakers and advocates for the park."

But he said the city has not had the money to address the matter.

Meyer said the city used some of its casino money to study the deteriorating building.

"We found that it had some tuckpointing issues and structural issues that gave us concern," he recalled.

Before a new roof could be constructed, the structural issues would need to be addressed, Meyer said.

"So it became a lot larger project and one that we did not have the money to do," he added.

"We really haven't decided what to do, but we are looking different options," Meyer said.

'Historic in its own right'

In 1936, the local American Legion post purchased the three-acre site as a public park. Through the federal Works Progress Administration, the Civil War earthworks were reconstructed, and the building was constructed.

The building has had a variety of uses over the years, including serving as headquarters for the community's Senior Citizens Club and later the Junior Optimists Club.

"It is historic in its own right, but it is not Civil War historic," Meyer said.

"There are purists who think this should have never been built, that that is a distraction from the pure history of the site," Meyer said.

But Kasten and Scott and Patti House said the building represents a part of Cape Girardeau history that is worth preserving.

Restored, the blockhouse could serve as a museum and aid in telling the story of Fort D, one of four Union Army forts that guarded Cape Girardeau during the Civil War, they said.

They said the site draws history-minded visitors.

Kasten said the Fort D living-history events annually draw about 1,000 people to the site.

"We have better attendance than the Glenn House and Red House (historic sites) combined," he said.

Scott House said the site regularly attracts "heritage visitors," particularly Civil War enthusiasts. Many of those visits occur on weekdays, he said.

Renovating the building could allow more public events to be held at Fort D, House said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3641