Lorimier Cemetery proposed for historic register

Cape Girardeau city officials want Old Lorimier Cemetery named to the National Register of Historic Places, a move they say could lead to federal grant money to preserve and restore the community heritage represented in the aging headstones and tap into the tourism of local history.

"We would like to see anything that would improve the place, bring it back to some glory," said Terrell Weaver, the city's cemetery caretaker.

The cemetery in the 500 block of North Fountain Street typically is open Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

But Weaver said he doesn't open the gate of the fenced-in cemetery when it rains or snows.

The cemetery hasn't experienced a new burial in years. "We had a cremation about five or six years ago," Weaver said. "The last burial was in 1982."

Weaver said the city might look at opening the cemetery on weekends if there is a demand. But no one has complained to him about the cemetery being closed on weekends.

Cape Girardeau city founder Louis Lorimier established the cemetery in 1808 on a sloping hillside overlooking the Mississippi River. Lorimier, who died in 1812, is buried there along with his wife, Charlotte, a Shawnee Indian who died in 1808.

Others buried there include Lucius Cheney, who was the first president of the Third District Normal School, now Southeast Missouri State University; Revolutionary War soldier Uriah Brock; and lawyer and railroad builder Louis Houck.

There are 1,446 marked burial sites in the five-acre cemetery. The cemetery was laid out in sections. One area was reserved for Protestants, another for Catholics, and still another for blacks.

The cultural diversity extends to the headstones, which include inscriptions in Latin, German, French, Hebrew and English.

Terri Foley, a Cape Girardeau historic preservation consultant, researched the cemetery's history and helped fill out the application for national register status.

"That cemetery is so significant to Cape Girardeau's history because it is the final burial place of everybody that made Cape Girardeau what it is," she said.

City planner Kent Bratton said national register status would give the cemetery wider exposure and could help draw visitors interested in local history.

The Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau has focused on local history as a way to attract tourists to the Mississippi River city.

The national register nomination request, approved by the city council last month, now goes to the state Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.

The state board is scheduled to meet in Cape Girardeau on May 20 and could consider the request at that time, Foley said.

If approved by the state board, the request would be sent on to the National Park Service for final approval.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123