 Cape Girardeau is a DREAM Initiative Community and a designated Preserve America town. COMING JULY 3 AND 4TH, 2010 FREE PASSPORT WEEKEND! Free Admission to the Red House all Weekend!!!
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FACEBOOK PAGE |
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LEWIS AND CLARK INTERPRETIVE CENTER |
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BIRDIEBALL |
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CAPE GIRARDEAU CONVENTION AND VISITOR'S BUREAU |
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CITY OF CAPE GIRARDEAU, MISSOURI, PARKS AND RECRE |
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OLD TOWN CAPE |
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CITY OF CAPE GIRARDEAU |
Constructing the Red House
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The concept of rebuilding the Red House actually started with Cape Girardeau’s 1993 bicentennial celebration. But this vision never came to fruition.
Than in August of 1999 Jim Denny and Shannon Cave of the Missouri Lewis & Clark Bicentennial commission came to Cape for a bicentennial organizational meeting. Jane Randol Jackson, Linda Clark Nash and Dr. Frank Nickell attended the meeting and began brainstorming on what kind of legacy project Cape Girardeau could offer for the bicentennial commemoration. Linda Nash saw this as the opportunity to resurrect the Red House project since on November 23, 1803 Merriwether Lewis visited Cape Girardeau and had dinner with town founder Louis Lorimier at the Red House.
These three individuals began calling people and local organizations and invited them to attend a meeting to form a local Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission. What developed was a Cape Girardeau County Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission co-chaired by Jane Jackson and Linda Nash and made up with members, Frank Nickell, Catherine Dunlap, Director of Old Town Cape (later to be replaced by Tim Arteiter), Chuck Martin Director of the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau and Brenda Schloss, a Planning Technician with the City of Cape Girardeau.
The newly formed Commission decided that Louis Lorimier’s Red House would be the legacy project and public meetings were set up to get the community involved. With that, Steve Strom, a local, retired attorney, jumped on board, and volunteered to ramrod the project. Steve conducted the historical research for the construction and design of the building and acted as construction foreman.
After much discussion and debate it was decided that a reconstruction or replica of Lorimier’s original Red House was just not possible. No one actually knew for sure what the original trading post looked like. All the group had was a drawing of a house taken from the recollections of a local resident, Sara Bollinger Daughtery. What the board decided to do was construct a house of the French colonial architectural style – a style that would have been used by a French Canadian in this area at that time; and to construct this house following the design of Daughterty’s recollection. Rather than call the house a “replica” or reconstruction it would be an interpretation of the style of house that Lorimier may have built and lived in.
This building would not only be a museum dedicated to the story of Lewis and Clark’s visit to Cape Girardeau on Nov23, 1803, but it would also be an interpretive center, a testament to the way of life in 1803. The Center would interpret life in the Cape Girardeau District including life on the river, the native Americans in the area, the local citizens that lived here including life for African Americans, the plants grown, goods and materials used and traded, they way people dressed, the way people lived.
In 2003 the Bicentennial Commission would bring back to life the year 1803 in the Cape Girardeau district.
CAN WE BUILD IT? YES WE CAN!!
With the Cape Girardeau County Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission formed, the community involved and a legacy project decided upon, the City of Cape Girardeau donated the property on which to build the center; a city-owned lot situated next to the Mississippi River.
Three grants were written, submitted and awarded for the project: a TEA-21,(transportation enhancement) grant from the Missouri Department of Transportation and two separate Corps of Discovery grants from the Department of Natural Resources. These grants paid for the building materials and museum exhibits.
What is truly amazing about this project is over 90% of the building was constructed by volunteers. The Red Hats – those men and women who donated their time, their expertise and their hearts to this project- local businesses, organizations, schools, football teams, families and children all volunteered their time and labor to do whatever was needed. Local businesses and individuals donated materials such as logs, window panes, concrete, poles for trusses, electrical wiring, rock, etc. A local garden club, volunteered to design and plant the historical gardens. Various items were donated for the museum displays. This center is truly a community project that reflects what a community can accomplish when it comes together.
NOW THAT IT’S BUILT, WHAT’S NEXT?
Following the completion of the Interpretive Center and the November 23rd Lewis and Clark commemoration, the Center was donated to the City to become part of the City’s park system. The Cape Girardeau County Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission was dissolved and a Red House Interpretive Center Board was formed.
Although it is a city facility now, the Interpretive Center is totally self-sufficient, only drawing upon the assistance of the City for grounds keeping. The Center not only meets its yearly operating budget, but exceeds the necessary funding with the support of generous donations, faithful memberships and visitors.
A foundation fund has also been set up to take care of any future maintenance needs of the center. With a goal of $100,000.00, the Red House Foundation Fund has now crossed the halfway goal.
After yearly bills are paid, the Red House Board has decided that the expansion of exhibits and the creation of new ones would be the next steps to take for the continued success of the Interpretive Center. The Red House will always have something new and exciting to offer. So, just because you have been here once, doesn’t mean that you’ve seen everything that we have to offer!
Putting the sill on top of the foundation
