Lorimier Cemetery: A Window to Cape Girardeau's Past

Lorimier Cemetery, established in 1808 by Louis Lorimier, stands as Cape Girardeau's first public cemetery. The land, atop a hill, was set aside after the death of Lorimier's wife, Charlotte. Overlooking the Mississippi River at 500 N Fountain St, the cemetery is the final resting place for many of the city's early settlers and leaders. The cemetery is divided into sections based on religious affiliation and race, with Catholics buried on the south, Protestants on the north, and African Americans on the eastern slope. It's believed that over 6,500 burials exist within the grounds, though many are unmarked. Around 1,446 gravestones mark burials, with some having been vandalized over the years. Notably, it's believed that approximately 1,200 soldiers from the Civil War are buried here, many in unmarked graves. The cemetery also holds those who perished during epidemics of cholera, smallpox, influenza and yellow fever. The site is filled with trees indigenous to the area, including an osage orange and a sugarberry, believed to be some of the oldest of their kind in Missouri. The pagoda covering the burial location of Louis and Charlotte Lorimier was erected in 1917 and refurbished in 2015. Today, the cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is open by appointment only.