By: Don E. Patton,
The Cairo Historical Preservation Project, Inc. (TCHPP) is a nonprofit grassroots organization established on April 1, 2021, to preserve, protect, and promote the city’s historical treasures. Native Cairoite Pete Kaha founded the group due to serious concerns about the city’s iconic historical architecture during the height of the pandemic. The primary function of TCHPP, Inc. has been to raise funds and awareness dedicated to four beloved Cairo structures: the 1884 Cairo Safford Public Library, the 1872 Custom House Museum, the 1918 Ward Chapel AME Church, and the 1869 Magnolia Manor.
Headed by President Don E. Patton, the all-volunteer board includes current and former residents: Founder and Director Pete Kaha, Director Robbin Ramey Patterson, Vice-President Tara Kieschnick, Secretary Hope Green, and Treasurer Amy Farrow. While diverse in culture and experience, they all share a common love of their hometown and a passion for seeing it prosper.
In pursuit of this mission, TCHPP recognized quickly that we do not live in a vacuum. We are fully aware of the challenges that Cairo has and will continue to face. Therefore, since our inception, we have allied with several local organizations and schools to support the community’s current well-being. In this process, TCHPP also has discovered the importance of embracing the diverse experiences that helped shape Cairo’s past and present. This has resulted in our successful contribution to the historic designation of several significant Cairo sites that have been long unrecognized:
- Ward Chapel AME Church- 17th Street – awarded National Register of Historic Places designation in September 2024 – which will help significantly in the goal of repurposing this building as a community meeting space and social justice museum.
- Cairo Civil War Contraband Camp- Cedar and 12th Street (former Pyramid/McBride Courts location) — received official status from the National Park Service Underground Railroad “Network to Freedom” in March 2024.
- Old 1856 Illinois Central Railroad Passenger Depot- 2nd and Ohio Streets – was recognized as a vital escape route for freedom seekers during and after the Civil War and added to the NPS UGRR “Network to Freedom” in October 2024.
Efforts in Cairo are gaining statewide and even national attention. As a historic service organization, TCHPP takes pride in collaborating with various groups to share America’s full and rich history. For example, we are currently involved in several new historical initiatives, such as the African American Heritage Trail and Oral History project (a partnership with the University of Illinois, Southern Illinois University, and the Cairo Public Library). We also enjoy collaborative relationships with such organizations as Landmarks Illinois, Illinois Humanities, National Trust for Historic Preservation, National Park Service, Illinois Historic Group Directory, and many more.
Through the fundraising efforts of our board, volunteers, grant awards, and individual donors, we so far have raised around $175,000 towards our mission and vision for Historical Cairo in under four years. Little did we know when this effort began just how impactful it would be, or how accurate Margaret Mead’s words still are when she said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
