Statue memorializing African-American Union Army soldiers dedicated at Ivers Square

History was made beneath a cloudy sky as the United States Colored Troops Memorial statue — one of only three in existence — was formally unveiled by descendants of the Ivers family and dedicated by officials Saturday at Ivers Square in downtown Cape Girardeau.

The ceremony took place 156 years after the first enslaved African-Americans in Cape Girardeau enlisted in the U.S. Colored Troops in 1865.

More than 240 men of color from the region defied their enslaved status, volunteered and served in United States Colored Troop Regiments, from 1863 to 1867, according to one of three plaques at the foot of the monument.

Before a crowd of nearly 250, local historian Denise Lincoln said, “You think about it, you dream about it, but when it’s here, it’s a blessing.”

She said, “the whole neighborhood, the whole city, the whole region is called to remember that where we are standing, something else happened.”

De'Goddess Lane, 8, plays with Chloe Newbern, 4, right, in the fountain during a ceremony unveiling a statue of a black, Civil War-era Union soldier Saturday at Ivers Square in Cape Girardeau.TYLER GRAEF

Lincoln said the statue was erected on a site of painful memories of a slave auction block, but it represents defeat over that enslavement and the beginning of freedom’s possibilities won by the sacrifice of so many.

“And 156 years later, we still don’t have it quite right when it comes to equality and justice for all,” she said.

Old Town Cape executive director Marla Mills said the statue’s presence furthers the organization’s mission by recognizing the contributions made by the African-American community “and helps us more fully realize our complete history.”

Steven Hoffman, professor of history in the Department of History and Anthropology at Southeast Missouri State University and board member of Old Town Cape said, “I think we can all agree that it is good and right that we are here today. And I think we can all agree that it is a day that has long been overdue.”

In 2017, Courthouse Park was renamed Ivers Square for James and Harriet Ivers. The Ivers were slaves owned by a former mayor, John Ivers Jr. In 1863, James Ivers enlisted in the Union Army at Common Pleas Courthouse, and died later that year. Harriet Ivers used her war widow’s pension to buy property in Cape Girardeau.

Rodney Terry is seen dressed as his great-great-grandfather, Rufus Vann, who served in the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War, during a ceremony unveiling a memorial statue Saturday at Ivers Square in downtown Cape Girardeau.TYLER GRAEF

Ivers family descendant Helen Campbell of Virginia had a front-row seat Saturday with her son, Alex, and daughter, Alexa.

“We are so honored, because that’s the one thing my husband wanted to do, was find out where his roots were from,” she said following the ceremony. “And we couldn’t find out. He thought it came from the Jones; we never knew about the Ivers.”

Campbell said her husband, Leichavonn, died in the line of duty as a Washington D.C. police officer, “and all he wanted to do was find out where he came from.”

Southeast graduate Michael McKeever was bedecked in a period-specific wartime uniform, ready for the upcoming re-enactment alongside nearly 15 others.

He was representing Company H, the 6th Florida Infantry Regiment military company of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War.

“I’ve always been interested in history education,” he said. “We need to understand where we came from, the good stuff as well as the mistakes, because that’s the only way that you grow, as an individual or as a country.”

The event also featured musical performances by Black Light Choral Ensemble, actor portrayals by Marlene Rivero and Marvin-Alonzo Greer and a libation ceremony officiated by Bankole Agbon.

After the dedication, Lincoln said, “I’m still blown away at the diversity and the distance people have come.”

There are a lot of good local folks, she said, but then there are a lot of folks that have come from afar.

Lincoln said that speaks of how important the regional story is.

Sarah LaVenture, Old Town Cape special projects coordinator, said, “The impact for the city itself is, this puts [Cape Girardeau] on the map as being an inclusive community.”

State Rep. Kathy Swan, R-Cape Girardeau, described Saturday’s ceremony as “unifying.”

“And that is the importance of it,” Swan said. “Many of us, across all races and religions, fought for a unified cause, and it’s time that we recognize the contributions of everyone.”

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