St. Ann’s Roman Catholic Church in Normandy along Natural Bridge Road dates to 1953 and is not the first building on the site. The parish dates back to 1854, when Ann Lucas Hunt donated land for the church. The current church was designed by Joseph Murphy, who along with Eugene Mackey, also designed Resurrection in…
Category: County
Posts about St. Louis County
End of Autumn 2025 Odds and Ends
Here are some leftover photos from the last six months. Above is a Falstaff sign in Benton Park. Above, looking down a street in what I think is Kingsway East towards the Chase Park Plaza, but I can’t be sure. Above is the Missouri Athletic Club, which I snapped while sitting at the light at…
Some Early Historic Maps
I had a bunch of maps saved up that I had some purpose for that I forgot, so I thought I would present them here for your enjoyment. The first two are related to Mill Creek and Chouteau’s Pond, and demonstrate how important the body of water was to early St. Louis. Remember, all images…
The Country House, Strathmore
Which one of these is not like the other? I couldn’t find the name of the original builder of this stately house whose architectural style and form stands out from its newer neighbors, but it was here by the late 1930s and the estate, according to modern real estate records was named Strathmore. While it…
Trinity Lutheran Church, Town and Country
Sometimes ironically called the “cash register church,” Trinity Lutheran Church, Chesterfield at the intersection of Clayton Road and Missouri Highway 141 is actually a historically rich and interesting congregation. It’s actually within the boundaries of the suburb of Town and Country but identifies with Chesterfield, further to the west. This Trinity is in the Evangelical…
Former Epiphany Episcopal Church
Known as Church of the Epiphany or Epiphany Episcopal Church, it seems that the congregation moved to its final location at Dougherty Ferry and Ballas roads in 1960 and lasted until 2007. The interior featured a sculpture by Elizabeth Phelan of bronze and walnut entitled “Christus Rex,” or Christ the King. I do not know…
St. Clare of Assisi Roman Catholic Church
The current church of St. Clare of Assisi dates from 1965, though the parish was formed several years before. The congregation used the chapel of the adjacent Passionists nuns, who still exist next door until its own church was built. As we have discussed lately, the church is similar to St. Martin de Porres in…
Meramec Highlands, Revisited
The Meramec Highlands Hotel must have been a sight to behold. Sitting high up on the bluffs, just to the east of the eponymous train tunnel, it was a short ride out from the city on the St. Louis and San Francisco (Frisco) Railroad. Guests could stay at the hotel, as well as the cottages…
Meramec Highlands Tunnel
Nestled behind the backyards of a subdivision is a surprise. Near the West and East Barrett Tunnels is a third tunnel, the Meramec Highlands Tunnel, high up on a bluff overlooking the Meramec River Valley. It was constructed in 1883 by the St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad. Like the other two, it was replaced just to…
East Barrett Tunnel
Moving past Barrett Station, further on down the tracks is the East Barrett Tunnel. The western entrance to the tunnel has been covered up, most likely by the northern approach to the Barrett Station Road bridge over the train tracks. The eastern tunnel is much larger and longer than the western tunnel. Due to the…