Long neglected and vandalized, Quinette Cemetery has now been restored by the City of Kirkwood. It is possibly the oldest African American cemetery west of the Mississippi, according to an explanatory text posted at the entrance. There is a very… Continue Reading
Purchased in 1959 with plans to become a subdivision after the closing of the former St. Joseph College, the large open tract of land at Big Bend Road (formerly Quinette) and Couch Avenue became St. Louis Community College-Meramec Campus. St.… Continue Reading
Given by Elizabeth Moehring to the Carmelite Sisters in 1929, the St. Agnes Home opened in 1935 in the far northeastern corner of Kirkwood. It reminds me of an old monastery you might see in Normandy along the British Channel… Continue Reading
Senior citizens interested in taking my OASIS class on Fifteenth Century Italian Renaissance art can sign up for the three week course starting 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM on Wednesday, September 5, 2018 by clicking on this link and searching… Continue Reading
I walked around Kirkwood for a little while a couple of weeks ago, and checked out some of the diversity of housing styles along Taylor Avenue. The houses are in good shape, and well-preserved. It was disappointing to see the… Continue Reading
Formerly Grace Episcopal Church, Eliot Unitarian Chapel took over this beautiful Gothic Revival church just east of downtown Kirkwood in 1961. The Eliot comes from the same man who helped found Washington University.
The story began when an employee of the Troy School District, Brian Chrismer, found a tombstone in a dumpster on district property. He reached out to Ginger Collins-Justus, and she discovered the stone belonged in Oak Hill Cemetery in Kirkwood. On… Continue Reading
There aren’t a huge number of mausolea in Oak Hill, but there are a couple nice ones. The stars, however, are some interesting family plots, such as this one below. I like the benches around this one, bringing people together… Continue Reading
Oak Hill Cemetery was founded way out in the country, along the old main-line railroad tracks, near the recently founded city of Kirkwood. It’s a beautiful setting, full of wonderful trees (which are in many ways the stars of the… Continue Reading
Across what is clearly an old ford over a creek that feeds just to the left of the picture into the Meramec, my father and I found an interesting discovery. Beyond a doubt, there are the well-preserved remnants of an… Continue Reading