National Register of Historic Places

Green's Ferry

Cape Girardeau, Cape Girardeau County, Missouri
Listed
June 20, 2007
Type
Site
Period
Early Republic
Ref No.
07000571

About this property

Green's Ferry, also known as the Waller's Ferry and Smith's Ferry, is a historic ferry landing on the western shore of the Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The ferry was one of two locations on the Mississippi River utilized by the Cherokee to cross from Illinois to Missouri on the Trail of Tears of 1837–1839. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. Joseph Waller, died 1821, began the original ferry sometime between 1797 and 1799 when Cape Girardeau was still a Spanish district. Subsequent to the Louisiana Purchase he received a license to operate in 1806 from the Quarter Sessions of Cape Girardeau County. Following the opening of the Illinois Territory to settlement, Joseph Waller sold the ferry and 640 acres of land to Green for $400 on 15 February 1817. Waller used the proceeds to buy Mississippi River bottom land in Union County Illinois Territory across the river from the Missouri landing. Green operated the ferry at least through 1838, and then sold it to Thompson Smith (1804-1847) whose wife Mahala Williams (1806-1858) was a granddaughter of Joseph Waller. Medad Randol (c1769-1833) operated a similar ferry at nearby Bainbridge. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bainbridge_Ferry His first wife, Deborah Waller (died before 1813) was a daughter of Joseph Waller. Joseph Waller's original 640 acre landgrant forms much of Missouri's Trail of Tears State Park. See https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/133098:2179

Location

Cape Girardeau, Cape Girardeau County, Missouri

Categories

NATIVE AMERICAN
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
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The Land
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Geology
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LiDAR Terrain
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Conflict & War
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The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
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Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
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Finds & Access
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Literature
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Points of Interest
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Questions about this property

When was Green's Ferry listed on the National Register?

Green's Ferry was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 20, 2007.

What type of historic resource is Green's Ferry?

Green's Ferry is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Green's Ferry?

The period of significance for Green's Ferry is recorded as the early_republic era, specifically around 1797.

Can I research the history near Green's Ferry?

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