Professor Harry Albert, a dedicated faculty member, wept openly at the sight of what remained of Old Normal’s ornamental towers after an overnight fire destroyed the school’s lone building and all its contents on April 8, 1902.
Securing the Third District Normal School remains one of the most important events in Cape Girardeau’s history. Our original Academic Hall – or Old Normal – served as a fitting monument. Completed in April 1875, this two-story red brick structure was an eclectic mix of Victorian era styles, with a gray Mansard roof and five decorative towers, situated magnificently on the old Civil War Fort B, the highest elevation in town so the institution would be visible for miles around.
Even while Old Normal still smoldered that Monday morning, a crowd gathered to hear the administration’s response to this unprecedented catastrophe. Though visibly shaken, President Washington Dearmont, now in his third year, spoke first. To reassure anxious minds, Dearmont earnestly reminded everyone that the Normal was not just one building, but instead a community which still resided in all students, faculty, and townspeople.
For the remaining weeks, classes temporarily met in the courthouse, downtown churches, and several vacant commercial buildings. The only day in which Southeast Missouri Normal School suspended class because of the fire would be April 8, 1902.
But a real sense of urgency drove plans to rebuild Academic Hall. Iron County still wanted the Normal School, so any perceived delay or outward signs of indecision could jeopardize the institution’s future in Cape.
