Time may be running out for 19th-century cabin in Cape

An 1800s-era log cabin hidden beneath a wood-siding house on a Cape Girardeau street may be nearing the end of its life, despite the efforts of a preservationist and retired contractor.

Jim Blakemore said he is not ready to give up on the house at 818 N. Fountain St., but he worries the city, which holds the permission slip for how much longer it can stand, may be.

The structure, which revealed a log cabin last spring when work on the house was being performed, is thought to date before 1860. Research brought limited findings, but a building is shown in the location on a Civil War military map of Cape Girardeau. Local history professors determined the cabin section of the structure to be a thatchwork frame with brick infill, a traditional German vernacular building technique. Over the years, more house was built around the original cabin, and deteriorating wood siding covers much of the exterior.

The owners, sisters Mary Cotner and Marilyn Landewee, bought the house several years ago with renovation in mind but found repairs to be costly. Blakemore has since taken an interest in saving the structure, which has been condemned for some time and subject to a city demolition plan.

In June, Blakemore was starting work on the house -- he planned to disassemble it and move the log cabin portion to another location -- but has faced obstacles, including not having enough manpower for the takedown and finding a suitable location where the house would stay preserved.

This week, Blakemore said he is starting to lose hope the house can be saved, but isn't done with it yet.

"I'm still looking into getting it on the National Register of Historic Places, and there are still a few places we might be able to move it," he said.

But time may be running short.

The city during the summer granted an extension for the disassembly. The extension has gone well past the normal 30 days a property owner facing condemnation and demolition has to comply.

City planner Ryan Shrimplin said Thursday while the city has no immediate plans to order demolition of the house, ample time has already been given for one of three options: the house could be disassembled and moved; the house could be demolished; or the house could be brought up to code -- the latter of which is not likely because of the house's condition. Another option Blakemore has proposed -- leaving the house in place but restoring it -- also isn't really an option, Shrimplin said.

"The city is certainly not anti-historic preservation by any means." Shrimplin said, "We have worked with him so far and waited. It's that from our standpoint, it's under a condemnation order, and not a lot of progress has even been made in the original plan."

So while the fate of the house remains uncertain, Blakemore said he will continue his work. He said he plans to start more work at the house about 10 a.m. Saturday and welcomes volunteers.

"It takes longer sometimes," he said. "It's uncovering history."

eragan@semissourian.com

388-3627

Pertinent address:

818 N. Fountain St., Cape Girardeau, MO