Reynolds House plight getting some attention

The first meeting of the Reynolds House task force is Nov. 7.

Real estate agent Tom Meyer, chairman of the task force, said he expects the group to be fast and focused.

"You go in, identify the situation, hit the main bullet points," he said. "With a good group, you're in and out within 10 days to one month. It's not a long committee life."

The Historical Association of Greater Cape Girardeau, which has owned the home since 1982, needs to find a way of saving the dilapidated but historic home at 623 N. Main St.

The task force, which includes preservation consultant Terri Foley; lawyer Stan Grimm; Ken Eftink, Cape Girardeau's development services director; and Bill Port, historical association member, will evaluate potential uses for the home, possible tax credits and partnerships with financial contributors.

Meyer said he's always been interested in historic properties. He lives in a home built in 1892, and has a track record of preservation pursuits, from the Marquette Hotel to another current project, the old Central High School (L.J. Schultz School) preservation drive.

Reynolds House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, will require repairs costing at least $200,000 Meyer said, "depending on the level of restoration."

Meanwhile, members of an Illinois family think they have a connection with the old house.

After reading about the Cape Girardeau landmark, Amy Reynolds e-mailed the Southeast Missourian to get in touch with the historical association. She said her husband, Greg, and his father, Jack Reynolds, believe they are indirectly related to James Reynolds.

The couple talked to other family members living in and around Reynoldsville, Ill., which is an unincorporated community just north of McClure. The family traces its roots back to William Robert Smith Reynolds, for whom Reynoldsville was named. He had a brother, James Greenly Reynolds.

Amy Reynolds, principal of Shawnee Elementary School and mother of two young children, said Jack Reynolds is pulling out plat books to see if he can find a connection.

"I"m thinking James Greenly Reynolds is the one that ended up living in the house in Cape Girardeau," said Jack Reynolds, 74. "We'd just like to know more about it and some of the history," said. A house James Greenly built in Reynoldsville still stands, occupied by one of Jack Reynolds' grandsons.

pmcnichol@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127