Clik here to view.
Vignettes from Castlewood
Valued reader Joyce Pharriss provided an invaluable window of life in what would become Castlewood State Park when it still operated as privately owned resorts along the Meramec River. From the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sisters of St. Peter Claver
We couldn’t figure out if this small convent in Town and Country, off of old Route 141 was still occupied. There is a redevelopment notice posted out front saying that a school is moving in. The nuns...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Castlewood, Revisited
I visited Castlewood State Park for a post (I’ve been there dozens of times before and since) back in 2008, when this website was new. I always find it fascinating that very little ever changes out...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Cheramis, Castlewood
It’s a little blurry, but this photograph provided by Joyce Pharriss of her family’s Cheramis cabin records what many of the now completely lost cabins along the Meramec River would have looked like....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Making the World a Better Place?
One of the last pieces of flat land left out in the western edge of St. Louis County, the fields once owned by the small Cahtolic school, Linda Vista, has finally been swallowed by “progress.” The...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Old Homesteads, Far West St. Louis County
Out west are all sorts of surprises, tucked between the valleys and subdivisions are old log cabins, such as the one off of Valley Road, or the old farmhouse off of Strecker. This old farm house below...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Old Farmstead, Demolition Looming
Someone died, and that meant it was time to sell off his land for a bunch of McMansions. He was one of the last holdouts, selling fruits and vegetables at a roadside stand at Clayton and Schoettler...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Jarville House, Queeny Park
Jarville House is one of the oldest houses in St. Louis County, built in 1853. It was built in the Greek Revival style, but when it was purchased by Edgar Queeny, the son of the founder of Monsanto,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Return to Pevely Farms, Lewisburgh, Meramec Valley
The isolated southern side of the Meramec River Valley continues to fascinate us. We had previously spotted this railroad viaduct the last trip, and this time we drove down. It’s developed quite the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Zombie Subdivisions, Revisited
Beyond the manicured lawns off of Crescent Road, the zombies appear out of nowhere. Weeds, as tall as grown men, fill the fields of dreams where McMansions had once dared to tread. The pavement has...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Route 66 Bridge, Revisited
The old roadside inn is looking good down in the Eureka area near the Meramec River compared to four years ago. Sadly, the bridge was condemned, its road bed removed. If you have interest in Route 66,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
St. Paul/Jedburgh/Sherman
We returned to one of the most isolated corners of St. Louis County, the small hamlet that goes by different names, including St. Paul (the eponymous road that leads to it), Sherman (the name of the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Shaare Emeth, Temple of the Gates of Truth
After writing my recent St. Louis Magazine article about Centenary United Methodist Church, one of the oldest continually operating congregations in downtown St. Louis, and in the city in general, I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Return to Castlewood
One of my most popular posts was one of earliest out at Castlewood. It still draws me back, as I see changes over the years. The old road above, which had begun to suffer from terrible erosion, has...
View ArticleClik here to view.
West From Castlewood
Many of the old lodges from the resort era at Castlewood still stand over on New Ballwin Road, but I’ve noticed an interesting trend recently. As can be seen below, in-fill housing, made to look like...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Log Cabins, Drace Park
Given as a gift by the Drace Family, the small park in Town and Country contains three log cabins. This cabin above and below is the Kropp Cabin, from 1855, when this area was far out in the country....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Clik here to view.
St. Liborius High Altar Reredos, Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, Eureka
We finally got into Sacred Heart out in Eureka, which has long been known for being the new home of many of the sculptures from the old St. Liborius in St. Louis Place. The new priest graciously let...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Abandonment, Kiefer Creek Road
The houses around Castlewood State Park are starting to be abandoned, and are slowly being demolished. Meanwhile, large, Post-Modernist houses are popping up on nearby roads.
View ArticleClik here to view.
Meadowbrook
Meadowbrook Country Club is part golf course, and part subdivision, which wraps itself around the greens. There are some interesting Modernist houses mixed in among later houses. The properties seem...
View Article