Old Town Cape receives $10,000 Ivers Square grant

Old Town Cape has received a $10,000 grant from the Missouri Humanities Council in support of the Ivers Square United States Colored Troop Statue at Common Pleas Courthouse in downtown Cape Girardeau.

The namesake, Ivers Square, honors the memory of Pvt. James Ivers, 56th U.S. Colored Infantry and his wife Harriet.

According to a news release, efforts to install the statue of the soldier in Ivers Square are well underway, due in large part to the diligence and hard work of community historian Denise Lincoln.

Steven Hoffman, professor of history in the Department of History and Anthropology at Southeast Missouri State University and board member of Old Town Cape, and Bonnie Kipper, representative of Cape Girardeau Historic Preservation Commission, also are assisting with the project.

Sarah LaVenture, Old Town Cape special projects coordinator, said Thursday the project is going as planned.

"It will not change the total cost of the project," she said. "It's a substantial amount toward the project and a huge help ... Obviously, grants are never guaranteed. But when the project started, we knew that this grant was a possibility."

Hoffman told the Southeast Missourian in November the new statue alone would cost more than $45,000, and "as much as $60,000 after all is said and done."

Award-winning sculptor and artist Roy W. Butler -- from Tennessee -- is responsible for crafting the soon-to-be installed statue. Interpretive signage also will complement the renovations and physical improvements to the courthouse grounds.

LaVenture said the panels will interpret four major topics: the history of James and Harriet Ivers; the compelling story of the other enslaved individuals who enlisted at the courthouse; the role of the Missouri's U.S. Colored Troops in the war effort; and the history of the existing union and confederate memorials on the site.

Butler is well aware of the history surrounding Ivers Square and the importance of the statue and even assisted with site designation, according to LaVenture.

"The statue already has been ordered and in the process of being cast, right now," she said. "It's happening. We're actually in the order of working with [Butler] on doing a site plan."

LaVenture said, "We want the statue to be put forward in the best possible light."

Hoffman oversees the fundraising for the project, LaVenture said, and was out of town and unavailable for comment Thursday regarding how much has been raised thus far. In August, Hoffman and Lincoln told the Southeast Missourian they hoped to raise private funds to pay for the statue and its installation.

The statue's dedication is slated for June 8, commemorating the 156th anniversary of James Ivers' enlistment in the Union Army, she said.

jhartwig@semissourian.com

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