Labadie, not far from the county line in Franklin County, is worth a visit. Still largely intact as a small town that dot Missouri, there are a few shops on the main street fronting the railroad tracks.

I find this Carpenter Gothic, similar to several in St. Louis with its three matching gables, to be one of the most unique houses in the town. Surely it once features more elaborate detail. I wrote an article about Carpenter Gothic houses at St. Louis Magazine.

My traveling companions and I were all impressed with the massive railroad viaduct that cuts nearby the town.

Nearby Labadie, the massive power station begun in the 1970’s rises hundreds of feet above the flood plain along the Missouri River.