Under renovation but always a nice place for a little side trip…read more Great history lessons when staff on site

Sept 2015, Tony, Noel and I along with our doggie Sammi, went to several State Parks in Missouri…read moreand we stopped at Bollinger Mill State Historic Site to check out the old grist mill and the Burfordville Covered Bridge. The park is FREE to enjoy. The parking lot is full of trees and gravel and makes for a nice shaded area. There are picnic tables and NO grills but you can bring a picnic basket with food in it. We walked around the grist mill and the Covered bridge. It is a very lovely park and easy to find once you put in the GPS information. History of the Bollinger Grist Mill. The Bollinger Mill State Historic Site is a state-owned property preserving a mill and covered bridge that pre-date the American Civil War in Burfordville, Cape Girardeau County, Missouri. The park was established in 1967 and offers mill tours and picnicking. It is managed by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Mill History: In 1797, George Frederick Bollinger received a land grant from the Spanish Government and moved with several other families from North Carolina to what is now Burfordville, Missouri.[4] In 1800, Bollinger began building a log dam and mill on the Whitewater River. In 1825, Bollinger rebuilt the mill and dam using limestone. After Bollinger's death in 1842, his daughter Sarah Daugherty and her sons continued to operate the mill until the Civil War, when the mill was burned by the Union army in order to prevent the supply of flour and meal to the Confederate army. Following the war, the mill site was sold to Solomon R. Burford. The current four-story brick mill was completed by Burford in 1867 and is built upon the limestone foundation of the 1825 building. Burford owned the mill until 1897, when the Cape County Milling Company took over operations and continued operating the mill until 1953 when the mill was sold to the Vandivort family, relatives of George Bollinger. The mill was donated to the Cape Girardeau County Historical Society in 1961 and to the State of Missouri in 1967.[3] Three years later, the mill was added to the National Register of Historic Places

Just north of Thebes along Route 3 and parallel to the Mississippi River, this small park has a…read morehistorical marker and the parking available to appreciate it. You can also access the river from here for a fabulous view. The marker reads, "In 1817 the Zebulon M. Pike reached St. Louis, the northern-most steamboat port on the Mississippi River. The western steamboat of later years was a credit to the frontier American mechanic who drew upon experience to build a large craft (eventually over 300 by 40 feet) which would carry heavy cargoes in shallow water against the strong Mississippi current. Owners boasted that steamboats could run on heavy dew, but in fact seasonal variations in river depth limited their use - medium sized steamboats needed at least four feet of water. The influence of the steamboat spread far and wide in the Mississippi Valley and hastened the development of the region. "Snags, explosions, collisions and fires sank many steamboats. An 1867 investigation recorded 133 sunken hulks in the Mississippi between Cairo and St. Louis, a stretch rivermen called the 'Graveyard.' "Even as the north-south river trade flourished in the 1850's transportation lines running east and west developed. Railroads, which followed a more direct route than winding rivers, began to haul freight to and from the Mississippi valley. Steamboats aided the North in the Civil War, but the reorientation of civilian commerce foreshadowed their decline. Although they continued to churn the Mississippi for the rest of the nineteenth century, they were eventually replaced by strings of barges guided by a single steamboat or later by a diesel boat which transported the cargoes individual steamboats had once carried." The marker was erected in 1986 by the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Illinois State Historical Society. [Review 1248 of 2024 - 202 in Illinois - 22271 overall]

Commanding a view over downtown Cape GIrardeau, this beautiful structure was completed in 1854 (and…read moresurvived the Civil War!) designed in the Federal style. It is two stories and includes a hipped roof and cupola. On a Sunday afternoon, the building was locked and secured so no opportunity to tour the inside. The outside, however, is stunning including the stairway down to the riverside neighborhood, the fabulous fountain (dedicated in 1911 in memory of the soldiers of the Civil War) and the bandstand. The bandstand had a couple of folks enjoying the power outlets and a nap. It's quite the structure and well worth a stop. [Review 1253 of 2024 - 355 in Missouri - 22276 overall]

Very efficient service here. You can go to either the Cape or Jackson location to get your tax…read morewaiver. This was my first time at the Cape office and was well served. When you move to Missouri, you are subject to an annual personal property tax. To register your car in Missouri, you obtain a waiver so that you are not subject to pay personal property fees until you have lived in the state through the calendar year. The Cape office is on Lorimer Street to the right of the courthouse. Very efficient and friendly staff.

Driving past, the sign mentioned "Thebes Historic Courthouse" and it rang a loud bell in my mind…read morebut I could not remember why this courthouse was so important. And so I made the turn to check it out. Completed in 1848, the courthouse is in the Southern Greek Revival style and the view from the porch of the famous Thebes Bridge (reviewed separately) and the Mighty Mississippi River (also reviewed separately) is tremendous. Inside, this classic structure are two hundred years of history, artifacts, photographs and some very helpful and friendly ladies who are more than happy to talk. Abraham Lincoln visited the courthouse when he was a frontier lawyer. One of the more infamous Supreme Court cases began its journey here when fugitive slave Dred Scott was imprisoned in the courthouse dungeon. Yeah, that Dred Scott and the ruling from SCOTUS in 1857 was that the US Constitution did not extend American citizenship to people of black African descent. This was thankfully overturned by the Civil War and the Fourteenth Amendment. [Review 1247 of 2024 - 201 in Illinois - 22270 overall]

In Sept 2015, Noel, Tony and I started on a road trip with Sammi from Nashville TN to Skull, KS. On…read morethe way, we saw this sign for a Historical Courthouse overlooking the Mississippi River. So we had to stop. This courthouse is had something to do with the very important Dredd Scott trial. The courthouse was closed but I got some really great photos of the courthouse. It had a great location on the Mississippi River. There is nothing left of this important River Port Town..but I just wonder what it all looked like? Sitting high atop a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River in Thebes, Illinois is the 1848 Courthouse. Standing 165 years, it is a testament to architect Henry Ernst Barkhausen, who was awarded the contract for designing and supervising the erection of the Thebes Courthouse in 1845. This landmark was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

I love love love cable-stayed bridges and the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge is an example of why…read more It's just beautiful. With two tall H-shaped piers similar to the Quincy Bayview Bridge (Illinois), the Great River Bridge (Iowa) and the Cochrane USA Bridge (Alabama). This one is named for a Missouri politician who served as a US Representative from 1981 to 1996, it was completed in 2003 and has 60 feet of clearance below to the Mississippi River. It carries four lanes of Route 34 and Route 74 and IL 146 between East Cape Girardeau Illinois and Cape Girardeau Missouri. The bridge replaced the old Cape Girardeau Bridge which was adjacent until it was demolished in 2004. There is no toll to cross the bridge. [Review 1249 of 2024 - 351 in Missouri - 22272 overall]

How does one review a bridge?…read more From Wikipedia: "The Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge connecting Missouri's Route 34 and Route 74 with Illinois Route 146 across the Mississippi River between Cape Girardeau, Missouri and East Cape Girardeau, Illinois." It seems Bill Emerson was a Missouri representative from the 80s and 90s. I'm not exactly sure what he did that earned him a commemorative bridge, but like all things, a rudimentary Google search will probably yield all the information you can handle or desire. At nearly 4000 feet long, and four lanes wide, this is a pretty big bridge, and certainly a feat of engineering. Perhaps more interesting for us SoCal folk was crossing the Mississippi River, which any third-grader can tell you is the largest river in North America. Also of note as far as we were concerned, the bridge signified that we were only 5 miles from our destination for the evening, Jackson Missouri... Where our air-conditioned hotel room provided a welcome respite from the Missouri summer of heat and humidity. If you like bridges, come check this one out. It's no Golden Gate in SF, it's no Yangpu bridge in Shanghai, heck, it's not even a Coronado Street bridge from San Diego, but when you consider the alternative methods of crossing the mighty Mississippi just 100 years ago, you come to appreciate little things like this, that so many of us take for granted.

After enjoying two beers at nearby Many Good Things Brewing, I walked a bit along the riverside. No…read morebarges passing this time but it was still an amazing view that goes north around the bend and south to see the beautiful Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge. Some seating here and a few captions, don't miss the "high water" marks on the floodwall. Holy smokes! [Review 1252 of 2024 - 354 in Missouri - 22275 overall]

More of a piece of art than a bridge, the Thebes Bridge crosses the Mississippi River and joins…read moreIllmo Missouri with Thebes Illinois. It is owned by a subsidiary of the Union Pacific company and it was designed by Ralph Modjeski (1861 to 1940) who is responsible for some forty major bridges including the Huey P. Long Bridge near New Orleans, the Ben Franklin Bridge (Philadelphia) and the international Blue Water Bridge (Port Huron Michigan and Point Edward Ontario). The bridge took three years to complete, somewhat delayed by legal proceedings with the right of way. It completed in 1905 with a total length of 3959 feet. It's worth noting that the Thebes Bridge is a "continuous truss bridge" that is very similar to the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. Though it seems that the piers are better protected here. Truly a work of art. [Round number review 200 in Illinois - 1246 of 2024 - 22269 overall]

The wall's primary purpose is to hold back the flood waters of the mighty Mississippi River, which…read morefloods often. Most recently (Jan. 2016) the river crested over flood stage (32 feet) at 48.86 feet, which was pretty close to the top of the wall which is 53 feet high. The wall spans 500 feet and is covered with murals painted by various artists depicting the lives of 45 famous people who were born in Missouri or achieved fame while living there. Great way to take in some history as you stroll and so much better than a plan ole wall!

Great day to see the Missouri Wall Of Fame In Cape Girardeau, MO. Only 12 degrees and still worth…read morethe New Years Day drive! Ice on the Mississippi and the art on the wall to enjoy. Amazing artwork and history. Perfect for a nice long walk to enjoy!