Blank

Photo by Elane Moonier Photographer Tom Neumeyer holds his recently published book Cape Girardeau Then and Now.

Print This Story

Two local authors have new books-Tom Neumeyer

A new book giving a unique approach to the history of Cape Girardeau will be released this month. Cape Girardeau Then and Now links the present with the past by using more than 120 archival images paired with current photographs of the same subject.

Cape Girardeau native Tom Neumeyer photographed and wrote the coffee-table-style book. The Regional History Center of Southeast Missouri State University, under the direction of Dr. Nickell, published the book.

A book-signing reception for the book, Cape Girardeau Then and Now, will be held 2-5 p.m. this Sunday, March 14, at the Cape Girardeau Public Library, 711 North Clark St. Neumeyer and Nickell of the Regional History Center, will be on hand. Proceeds from sales will benefit the Friends of the Cape Girardeau Public Library Foundation.

An exhibition of images from the book will be on display in the library’s Geraldine Hirsch Community Room through the month of March during regular library hours.

The original images date as far back as the mid-1800s, portraying the people and places of Cape Girardeau. Neumeyer photographed the corresponding present day scene and wrote the histories of each site. While the emphasis is on the visual element, the 300-page book also contains 10 essays on local history and folklore associated with Cape Girardeau, written by city residents.

“This concept of pairing imagery from the past with a parallel photograph from the present is a first for this area,” Neumeyer said. “The reader sees how the foundation from the past is the basis for what we have, who we are now, and for the future. One goal I have is to weave a connection to our roots using these images and descriptions as the threads to create a tapestry.”

The book is part of a photo-documentary that Neumeyer created. Cape Girardeau Then and Now also includes the photo exhibition, which is on display at the library, and a PowerPoint program that he presents to local organizations.

“These image pairings in the book will bring about responses, perhaps reactions, to what the community has preserved, as well as lost,” Neumeyer said. “I want to produce an awareness of our connection to our roots that is so critical. This photo-documentary may help us as a city to understand the forces of growth and change.”

Among the images is the Common Pleas Courthouse, 150 years old and still in use. Citizens of the city fought a successful battle 50 years ago to prevent the federal government from razing the landmark. Other pairings show extraordinary historic homes, such as the Ellis-Wathen-Ranney home on N. Main Street, which is now the site of a parking lot.

Neumeyer commented, “By seeing the past and present images side by side, the reader gets a unique perspective, seeing what our forbearers built and preserved. The book gives a sense of place and of community. And you can see an analogy to a family photo album. With the family album, we observe and remember our children through infancy through adulthood. And with the book, we see the city mature.”

Neumeyer used archival images from his own collection, and from the Regional History Center and the Special Collections and Archives of Southeast Missouri State University. All the archive images are from hard copy originals, rather than electronic images.

He used traditional film to photograph almost all the corresponding new images.

The book is available at family owned stores in the downtown Cape area, the Convention and Visitors Bureau, Old Town Cape and Stev-Mark on William Street. It can be ordered through the Regional History Center by going on the Web site at www2.semo.edu/regional-hist/publications.

Neumeyer is a professional photographer and has produced other photo-documentaries, including one on the rural elderly. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from Southeast Missouri State University and teaches photography in the university’s Continuing Education program.

He served two terms as a Cape Girardeau City Councilman and belongs to the city’s Parks and Recreation Foundation and the Cape Girardeau Friends of the Library Foundation.

His other affiliations include the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri, Visual Arts Cooperative, Cat Ranch Art Guild, Best of Missouri Hands, Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, and Old Town Cape.