Frozen in Time: The waymakers of preserving Cape Girardeau County’s history
JACKSON, Mo. (KFVS) - We can hold onto the memories we make, but thanks to one organization, volunteers work to preserve those memories in Cape Girardeau County.
They said it’s all a labor of love through archiving, documenting and processing.
Walking into the Cape Girardeau County History Center in Jackson is a sight that can take you back.
“These are just human interest stories that I have clipped,” said Mary Jo Shelton, librarian.
A sight that can take you to a moment in time.
“So this, this is what I found in this person’s collection,” said Shelton.
Every Tuesday, volunteers come together and flip through the pages of history. It could be a recipe, a military patch or a photograph.
“I am still finding things that amaze me,” said Alice Ireland, cataloger.
For Ireland, life in the past is one to .
“I think it is important to save these kinds of things. It’s uh, you know that old saying, if you don’t learn history you’ll be bound to repeat it, and some of the history we don’t want to repeat,” said Ireland.
And for archivist Nancy Ayres, there is more to it than meets the eye.
“Just touching things that have meant so much to history and been a part of so many important parts of what’s gone on in our country and getting to personally handle them and take care of them. That’s what does it for me,” said Ayres.
Director Carla Jordan explained why this matters so much to her.
“If things aren’t preserved, they are gone,” she said. “What we do well is our mission here, which is to document, interpret, preserve the history of Cape Girardeau County, the whole county, yesterday, today and tomorrow.”
These volunteers are the waymakers of preserving the life of Cape Girardeau County.
“I love the history of the things that come in and the stories that are connected with them, but the people are the interesting things,” said Shelton.
Especially when an old photograph can be reunited with a long-lost relative.
“Some of what we do is paying it forward for what we don’t get to see and then we have those really nice moments when someone comes in and you get that immediate connection and so those are good days,” said Ayres.
Making this tedious task that much more important.
“You should see some of the people when we can give them a tidbit of information and how excited they get,” said Shelton.
So while you are living for today, these volunteers are preserving those memories for generations to come.
“We are preserving history to go on and on,” said Shelton.
If you are interested in visiting the history center or volunteering, visit its website to learn more.
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