Selma Hall, or Kennett’s Castle, was built according to designs by George I. Barnett in 1854 along the bluffs south of St. Louis in Jefferson County. I rarely only show historic photographs, but the house is so far back in a huge estate and is never open to the public that it is impossible to…
Tag: Jefferson County
Anheuser Estate, Kimmswick
The Anheuser family had a country estate on the banks of the Mississippi just south of Kimmswick that is now a park. The house was originally built in 1867 but the Anheusers bought it in 1916. I suspect the family could have easily taken the train directly to their estate on the tracks, which may…
Windsor Harbor Bridge, Kimmswick
On the south side of Kimmswick is the Windsor Harbor Bridge, which is now completely closed to all traffic, after once being open to pedestrians. Originally placed in Carondelet up in St. Louis from 1874 to 1928, it was moved here in 1930. There is a modern road bridge to the west, made of reinforced…
Kimmswick, Revisited
Founded in 1859 by German Theodore Kimm, we thought that Kimmswick was worth a second look recently since we were in the area after having looked at it back in August of 2020. I had forgotten how many log cabins there were in the town. And judging from the National Register nomination, which does not…
Byrne’s Mill, Jefferson County
Well, we discovered there’s not much left of Byrne’s Mill (not to be confused with Byrnesville, which wan named after a totally unrelated man) except a stone pier, but there is a nice write up at the city’s website about the historic site.
House Springs, Jefferson County
Update: National Register property added in March of 2026. I stumbled onto the original small community of House Springs, which is built right on Gravois Road in Jefferson County. Route 30, which is frequently associated with Gravois, has been reoriented to the north and is four lane, divided highway in this area. Apparently some of…
James O’Fallon House, Barnhart
An audience member at one of my recent lectures alerted me to a very exciting house that I had never heard of built by James O’Fallon, brother of John O’Fallon, who of course was one of the wealthiest members of St. Louis before the Civil War (and has a gigantic family plot in Bellefontaine Cemetery)….
Arnold
Update: Tornado damage in the spring of 2025 necessitated the demolition of the church. Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church has a rich history stretching back to 1840, making it one of the oldest parishes in Missouri, and probably west of the Mississippi. The current church dates from 1895. Franciscan sisters provided for the education in…
Kimmswick
I was shocked to discover I had never photographed Kimmswick, located on the Mississippi River south of St. Louis. I could have sworn I had at some point. Anyway, the small town is looking good in the summer sunshine. It reminds me a lot of Ste. Genevieve, which is one of the famous historic French…
Main Street, De Soto
The Arlington Hotel anchors the wide expanse of railroad tracks that cuts through the heart of De Soto. Depending on who you ask on the streets of De Soto, the hotel was built in the 1850s or 1860s in the Greek Revival. But wow, those railroad tracks. The railroad has operated a repair facility here…