Cape River Heritage Museum

Cape River Heritage Museum 04-11-2014Friday night was an open house at the Cape River Heritage Museum. I was prepared to say I hadn’t been in there before, but there was a Willard Duncan Vandiver display with a quote I recalled having seen on an earlier visit and had stolen for my office wall.

I come from a state that raises corn and cotton and cockleburs and Democrats,

and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me.

I am from Missouri. You have got to show me.

Whenever a new vendor started his spiel, I’d hold up my hand and point to the quote.

Building has long Cape history

Cape River Heritage Museum 04-11-2014Taxpayers approved a $7.000 tax levy in 1907 to build a new police station and jail. After that, the fire department was added to the plans, and the building opened in 1909.

Conveniently located across the street was the Wood Building, which has been described as arguably Cape’s most infamous house of ill repute.The building, if not its former trade, has been restored.

The River Room

Cape River Heritage Museum 04-11-2014One of the most interesting exhibits is the huge Ary Marbain mural “Metrapolis,” donated by The Missourian and restored by artist Craig Thomas. The perspective is a little off, so it’s fun and challenging to identify the landmark buildings, many now gone, that are in the mural. For more information, you can visit the museum’s website.

Museum hours

Cape River Heritage Museum 04-11-2014A recent Missourian story said the building is open from noon to 4 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. The museum website says that is from mid-March through mid-December. That must be why I’ve only visited it once in years; it was always closed when I wanted to drop in.

Shameless plug: The gift shop DOES carry my book Smelterville: A Work in Progress. It’s also available at Annie Laurie’s Antiques at Broadway and Frederick.

Lily pond still there

Cape River Heritage Museum 04-11-2014The small lily pond behind the old fire station looks a little rough after the harsh winter, but it still could pass for the one I was photographed with over six decades ago. As always, you can click on the photos to make them larger.