Update: I went back and revisited the area again the late summer of 2021.
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 beach there), and Jedburgh (so named by the railroad to avoid confusion with Hermann, Missouri). It was probably a small resort community, as this cottage, named Elmhurst suggests.
Sadly, I confirmed that the nice little farmhouse up on the hill was in fact gone, lost to fire.
The small Baptist church continues to hold services, in a building I suspect is from the 1940s or 50s, but made to look older with salvaged stained glass.
But continuing past the lowlands, and you begin to head up into the hills. It’s beautiful, and incredibly wooded, back here.
Here and there, old farmhouses and collapsing barns show the signs of habitation. Who lives back here? It’s so far off the beaten track. But it’s so fascinating to see a corner of the county so preserved and untouched by sprawl.
I enjoyed this post. I grew up close to Sherman and I’m happy it is still there.
Gerry, please tell us stories about what it was like!
I grew up in Sherman! Living there is the reason I now crave to have a house that is more secluded than where I live now. Sherman is off the beaten path, but only about 20 minutes from anything else. That is hard to find now.
Very cool to see this post although I was hoping for more pictures. I always love to see a bit of home.
Grew up in Jedburg in the 40’s and 50’s.
Most if the town related then.
My dad built small house on the s curve by hand.
My grandfather, Albert McNeese, built grocery store, restaurant and bar in town in 1930’s.
Was a great place to live, grow and go to school.
Butch Harness
Wow, there was a school originally?
Yep a school.
Two rooms. Grades 1 – 4 one room, 5-8 other room. Mrs. King, Charlie King’s mother was the teacher. School was on site where large white house built by one of the Kirber boys now sits. Kirbers now own Castlewood Stables.
I am looking for more information about Sherman and specifically the Mcneese family. I live in the old general store (Haussels Market) possibly Mcneeses Califo market, and Im trying to fill in missing pieces. Would you be willing to chat?
Erin
Just saw your post.
What would you like to know?
I am trying to figure out who built the store and when. It is hard to research the property because there was not an address before the 1950’s. I believe McNeese owned the store prior to Haussels, but I’m not able to confirm that. If anyone has any info I would greatly appreciate it. I would like to document as much of the history as possible to pass along to future generations.
I grew up in sherman. I my grandparents are buried there.i will move back there
Back in the 1980s and 90s I used to ride my horse along the Meramec River. There is an abandoned RR track that was turned into a trail that went by Sherman beach. There was one unique building I remember. I couldn’t tell you exactly where it was, but it was “down stream” of Sherman, but before Castlewood in a large flat area, an old wooden two story building standing all alone. I assumed by it’s proximity to the tracks and the river that it may have been a hotel and/or store – some sort of commercial bldg. I wonder if that building is still standing? I remember a lot of cute little cottages along the bluffs too. I wish I had taken pictures…
I think you’re talking about the Kaes House.
http://stlouispatina.com/in-search-of-the-kaes-house/
I think you’re right! Thanks!
I grew up in glencoe,up river from jedburgh. wildwood came in glencoe,and has removed almost every thread of memory i’ve ever had of the place.they’re making a ladue park,out of it. glad to see jedburgh/shermanites, still holding the fort.
I’ve watched Glencoe disappear over the last twenty years. And yes, Sherman is still very much a special place.
Someone wanted to know what is was like living in Jedburg, well here goes. Here are the family names I remember and I may butcher the spelling but remember I went to school in Jedburg. Harness, McNeese, Jaycox, Elliott, Sontag, Beard, Doss, Johnson, Kirber, Sweeney, Cooper, Hand, Silver, Bosch, Wadell, Fahye, Hoeth, Wintage, Fry, Weisenburgh and a lot of them related.
I remember Sparky and finding arrowheads in the fields. The river of course.
At one time an American Legion Post and a firehouse.
Every July 4th a big baseball game at the ball diamond at the old school including all the old timers who came home.
We moved from there in 52 but my grandparents, Charles and Daisy Harness lived there until they died in 64.
I never forgot Jedburgh and even lived with my grandparents for a while.
As I grew older I use to come down often and go fishing and had many a beer parties on the river banks with old friends from college.
Have never lost my love for the old place and it will live in my memory forever. It was heaven to me.
Such great memories you’ve shared, Marvin! Thank you!
Daisy Harness, was a Johnson. And her parents were: Henry & Margret (Bryant) Johnson. I heard a lot about Henry & Margret. They are my daughter’s great-great-great-great-grandparents,fro her Mom’s Grandma-Thelma Leuthauser Cooper’s side. My neighbors were descendants of Henry & Margret Johnson. I mean many ,many neighbors in Glencoe. My Uncle ,Fuzz Leuthauser’s grandparents,too.
My Mom, moved to Sherman as a little kid,from the Bootheel. Her whole family moved there from the Bootheel. My Grandpa,Oley Bozarth, worked at the Gravel Plant,between Sherman & Glencoe,from 1948 til it shut down in 1970. My Grandma was a Flynn. My Grandpa’s Uncle & Aunt-Kennons,( not McKinnon), lived along the Railroad Bed, by the Gravel Plant,near the Meramec. That house got tore down in 1960. My Grandpa oved from Sherman to Glencoe /th Times Beach,in 1972. My Grandpa worked at City of Ballwin when he left the Gravel Plant. He worked with Sherman Boys-Bob & Gene Loeffel. My Grandpa has a Veteran Brick at Veterans Memorial @ Sherman Chruch.
Thanks for sharing your stories. Your grandpa worked with my grandpa and great uncle at the gravel plant.
My Daughter’s great-grandparents, were Coopers,and (William & Lottie)Leuthausers in Sherman.
Them Leuthauser’s were Cousins to the big Leuthauser Family in Glencoe. Kin Ethel Johnson,Loeffels,and Athey’s. Claude Cooper, was my ex’s Grandpa. The Leuthauser Family with 18 kids in Glencoe(Fuzz & Lena),was my Grandma’s Sister. My Grandma(Dad’s Mom) was a McDaniel. You see, everyone in Glencoe and Sherman, was mixed in,Kin, or married to each other. I never had a beef about anyone in Sherman. Love them all. Lotshaws,Bud Elliott,Joe Bausch,Loeffels,Wade;s,Carl Bausch,Vermette’s. God Bless them all.
My Mom,went to the Sherman School til in burnt down. She has a Class Picture,and outside pics. Leonard Ruble was in her grade. Paul Brake, still alive, was her teacher. They then went to Ellisville Elementary. Tex Brundage of Eureka,was the Sherman School Bus Driver in the 50’s. Larry & Leonard Ruble RIP.
Onie Wheeler, formerly of Senath,Missouri,in the Bootheel, lived in Sherman in the early 1960s. Onie was a Pearl Harbor survivor of the US ARMY. He was an extremely talented musician. He played Rockabilly Music,on Sun Records in the 1950s,and toured with Elvis Presley. His daughter ,Karen Wheeler,a singer too, went to Lafayette High school. They moved from Sherman to Nashville in the middle 1960s,and Onie joined Roy Acuff’s Smokey Mountain Boys,as a Harmonica player,and Onie could do a Train Whistle with his Mouth. Roy Acuff was known as the King Of Country Music. Onie was doing a Gospel Song,solo, for the Grand Ole Gospel Show,on the WSM Grand Ole Opry stage, and had a Fatal Heart Attack,standing in the “circle” on the Opry Stage.
Karen Wheeler,Country Music singer,can do the Train Whistle,also, still makes appearances on TV,and Opry.
Look Onie Wheeler,or Karen Wheeler(blonde white girl),up on youtube.com, singing. Google them.
I just drove though town last week. My grandma lived there back around 1914. Her dad worked for the gravel plant and later they moved to Pacific where he died in 1919 from a tragic death (fell and broke his neck and cracked his skull). He was superintendent of the gravel plant at the time. If anyone heard of a Blanche Wilson or Carl Ive Lee Mangrum aka Captain Mangrum please let me know. Im desperate to fill in some missing pieces.
Interesting, Kim. Did your family have roots in the area before then?
I lived in Sherman until I was 5 . My dad bought a house in west glen woods subdivision and he still resides there on .Lemonwood. My grandparents lived there for 50 plus years until they moved to gasconade. I grew up coming to Sherman every Sunday for dinner. Then when I was 15 I moved in with my best friend and his family. Mark schlecter. I lived Sherman the parties the fishing and having a place to come were not just anyone could visit. U either had to know someone or be related to someone to visit. I do have memories of the tavern post office and fire station. I lived Sherman
Wow, thanks, Penny, for those wonderful memories!
I worked at Castlewood in the 90s. I remember more urban legend than anything, but maybe sometime could shed some light on these memories.
There was a tunnel that went from the Kaes house up to the school?
There was a dance floor outside in the neighborhood?
There’s an old old graveyard that has the graves of slaves. This one I actually found in the woods, but it’s on a person’s property and he wasn’t super happy I was there.
Close by that grave yard, I found a deep hole in the ground surrounded by bricks and yucca plants. I never figured out what that was.
I used to cut grass and weedwhack around the Kaes house. The little spring house / detached kitchen was really cool.
My Grandmother and her kids owned what we called a club house in Jedburgh.. The family names were Wanger and Hagner None of us know when it was sold. I know my family used to go there in the 40’s and 50’s but they may have owned before that. I’m almost positive the house was on South Drive. I always loved Jedburgh and I would love to hear from anyone who might know any information.
Gene Rusert 07/24/2020 I was born in Sherman along with Vernon, Helen Miller, Kathy Lewis & Darlene Bradley childern of Earnest & Slyvia we lived in a house east of the present Baptist church(site of a Catholic church in my days) a basketball court was on our east side.My mother worked for Carl & Bonnie Haussels. Carl was a caring person that helped many families during times.john haussels & I walked from Glencoe to Sherman after many sports events that we played on.After Eureka HIgh I spent 2 yrs in the Army,4yrs MO school of Mines in Rolla, 2 yr in CA & 44 yrs @ Mcdonnel-Douglas, Boeing. we now live in Ellisville . Vernon Jaycox & I helped move many files from the library while the school was burning. a great place to grow up in.our first home backed up to the gravel yard Our play ground, the Waddel’s ( John, Spencer,Marget ,Frank & Joe) were on the west & the Forees (Ruby, Jim,Sug & Lucy, Nancy on our east) A Lutheran Church was accross from the Haussels store. It burned down & was replaced with a fire house. Corkball was the game of the day. Eugene Jaycox always gave John & myself a ride home from all basket games.
Mr. Rusert, thank you so much for all that information! I didn’t realize there were other churches down that way originally.
I love hearing these details about my family. Thank you! My dad is John and my uncle is Vernon. My grandma, Anna Marie Jaycox taught at the Sherman school for a while then at Ellisville elementary. I grew up in the brick house next to the Kaes house. I have lots of great memories playing with the Vermette family as a child. At the time, I didnt realize what a special place it was.
Oh the memories in Sherman in the 80,s spent many summer nights on the beach w/bonfire & good friends. There also used to be a abondone home on the bluffs lots good times there also! Soon it will all be gone to development.
Small correction It was called Sherman because the US Post Office named it that. Legend had it that the Foree farm house was originally General Sherman’s summer home. It was called Jedburg because of the train depot named that by Missouri Pacific . I lived there from 1946 thru 1954. Lived in the second house on the left after crossing train tracks.
The church was built as a Roman Catholic Church. Originally it was turned 90 degrees from current position, and faced the road.
My father was one of the men who started and built the fire house where the old Lutheran church once stood.
My crowd of kids I ran with were “Pandy” Goff, David “Buck” Heath, David Studdard,
I worked summers at Haussell’s store and for the Foree’s Farm & the farm up the hill, can’t remember their name. He had two girls. Nancy Foree & the Cooper girls & Paul Beard, annd do not forget the Bausch boys, also ran with us.
Lived next to the church and all the Catholic vestments etc were kept in our house until Sunday and the priest showed up.
I spent a lot of time with the Waddell,s ad the Vermett’s rented their house from my dad. My uncle lived next to the Jackie family, his name was Jim Burns
My dad’s hunting buddies were Carl Haussell and Ernie Bausch