HISTORY OP SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 257 aeter, aud there seems reason to believe that the instruction was not always the best at the time, for children were sometimes sent to Mt. Tabor school. Cape Girardeau Academy was established in 1843, and in 1849 the "Washing- ton Female Seminary was incorporated. Both of these institutions were conducted until the time of the war. In 1843, too, St. Vincent's College was established and is still in oper- ation. The Southeast District Agricultural Society was organized and incorporated in 1855; it was to include all the counties in the con- gressional district. General N. W. Watkins was the president and the first meeting was held at Cape Girardeau and a fair was held during the first year, which was on a small scale but fairly successful. The next presi- dent of the society was Judge W. C. Ranney, who was elected in 1856 and served until 1860. The society secured grounds and erected buildings and held fairs each year until the beginning of the war. During the war the society was disbanded and the grounds taken possession of by troops. It was later reorganized and is still in existence. Incorporated as a City We have seen that the first incorporation of the village of Cape Girardeau was in the year 1808. In 1843 the legislature of the state incorporated Cape Girardeau as a city with a special charter. It was provided in the charter that a mayor and seven council- men should have charge of the affairs of the city. E. Mason was the first mayor and the members of the first council were: W. S. Watson, Thomas J. Rodney, J. Rigby, John Ivers, J. Ritton, E. P. Evans and E. V. Cassilly. The mayors of the city since the administration of Mason have been as fol- lows: G. W. Juden, 1844 to 1845; E. Alason 1845 to 1846 ; Thomas Johnson, 1846 to 1849 ; P. H. Davis, 1849 to 1851; Alfred T. Lacy, 1851 to 1852 ; Thomas Baldwin, 1852 to 1853 ; John C. Watson, 1853 to 1854 ; Amasa Alton, 1854 to 1855 ; C. T. Gale, 1855 to 1857 ; John Ivers, Jr., 1857 to 1860. The first brick house in Cape Girardeau was built by Ezekiel Abel, who was the con- tractor for the building of the court house and jail; he completed the jail, but became insolvent and could not finish the work on the court house. After his financial troubles, however, he became successful in business and left a considerable fortune. He left four sons, William, John, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and two daughters, Mary, who became the wife of General W. H. Ashley, and Elizabeth, who married W. J. Stepheson. This brick house built by Abel was at the corner of Lori- mier and Bellevue and was known for many years as Eagle's Nest, owing to the fact that it was the residence of the editor of the Western Eagle. This house was damaged by the earthquake in 1811, and cracks in the walls caused by the shocks were still visible when the house was torn down about 1896. The oldest house now standing in Cape Girardeau is at the corner of Themis and Middle streets and is owned by Mrs, Ellen Wright. The lot on which it stands was bought in 1807 by Judge George Henderson, the father of Mrs. Wright's first husband, and the present house, a frame structure, was erected in 1811. The large brick chimney which still stands was damaged by the earth- quake on the night of December 25, 1811, the top of the chimney beink .shaken off. At the same time the large stones in the cellar of tlie house were cracked entirely through by the shocks. This house was used for a time as the meeting place for the courts. They assembled on the large open porch, a part of
