Remembering Jane Randol Jackson

At 2 p.m. Saturday, the board of directors and docents of the Red House Interpretive Center, 128 S. Main St., will dedicate a garden bench to the memory of Jane Randol Jackson. Friends and family are cordially invited to attend.

Mrs. Jackson, who passed away in 2012 at her home in Florida, was a leader in the planning and building of the Red House Interpretive Center and establishing a fund for its maintenance. The Red House Interpretive Center is a representation of the home and place of business of Pierre Louis de Lorimier, a French Canadian national who served as a Spanish agent and was the first and only Spanish Commandant of the Cape Girardeau district from its inception in 1795 until the area became United States territory as a result of the Louisiana Purchase. Visitors experience the way of life of the Lorimier family, see an 1800s-era trading post, and view exhibits involving the early settlers of Native American, European and African descent. The center is open on Saturdays from May until mid-November. For special group tours, call the Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department at 339-6340.

Mrs. Jackson, the first director of the Cape County Archives, was invaluable in getting the Archive Center started and preserving the colorful history of the Cape Girardeau/Jackson area.

In 2008, Mrs. Jackson was the first woman recipient of the Spirit of America Award, sponsored by the Southeast Missourian, for a lifetime of service and leadership.

JAMES S. "STAN" BAUGHN, Jackson