A fire has destroyed a Missouri landmark.

Early this morning, flames consumed Bevier’s Pear Tree Restaurant.

The famous restaurant was north of Moberly near Macon.

The fire also destroyed the town’s historic museum.

The fire started about 12:30 a.m. on Thursday.  Bevier firefighters along with crews from the rural Macon County and Callao fire departments fought the flames throughout the day.  People from Bevier said the Pear Tree Restaurant was known all around the world.  This Missouri landmark is now a part of history.

Bevier Mayor Bill Cosby said, “People are in shock.  They just can’t believe it.  I couldn’t believe it when I heard it last night.  We don’t have that many buildings in Bevier.  Unfortunately, we lost two of them last night.”

The fire also destroyed Bevier’s historic Black Diamond Building and Museum.  The museum had artifacts from Bevier’s coalmining days.  Firefighters saved some of the artifacts.

Bevier Fire Chief David Coleman said, “It’s pretty devastating.  We lost a wonderful restaurant and we lost a wonderful museum.  Both buildings were very old.  It’s been part of the town for hundreds of years.”

Restaurant owner Al Abbadessa opened the Pear Tree Restaurant in 1986.

No one was in the building at the time of the fire and no one was hurt.  Cosby said this is a loss that his town cannot recover.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

There is no dollar amount on the damage, but fire officials say the two buildings are a total loss.