LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: PERRYVILLE WANTS TO KEEP ARTIFACTS

To the editor:

I disagree with your July 27 editorial concerning the transfer of the Vincentian artifacts and historical library housed at St. Mary's of the Barrens in Perryville. Those I have questioned feel it should not be moved to Southeast Missouri State University's new River Campus project.

These artifacts and historical books relate to the very early settlement of a mission called St. Mary's. Later, it was named St. Mary's of the Barrens and became the home of the Vincentians. This library probably consists of a lot of information on the very early settlement of what is now Perryville and the first Perry County seat of justice established in the early 1800s.

When ancestors of the Moore family first migrated to the area, the first mission was already established. The barrens is a beautiful area visited by tourists year around.

If the Vincentian order will permit the people of Perryville to express their desire to keep the artifacts and library at St. Mary's of the Barrens, we will be grateful for the consideration given the Perryville community. If the Vincentians concur, it would be a valuable asset to a higher education establishment.

MARIE H. MEYER

Perryville, Mo.