One of my most popular posts was one of earliest out at Castlewood. It still draws me back, as I see changes over the years. The old road above, which had begun to suffer from terrible erosion, has been stabilized. Originally, the road led to the various cabins on the bluffs, as well as the…
Tag: West County
Shaare Emeth, Temple of the Gates of Truth
After writing my recent St. Louis Magazine article about Centenary United Methodist Church, one of the oldest continually operating congregations in downtown St. Louis, and in the city in general, I became interested in the synagogue that backed right up to the church. It was dramatically named Temple of the Gates of Truth, and I…
St. Paul/Jedburgh/Sherman
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…
Route 66 Bridge, Revisited
The old roadside inn is looking good down in the Eureka area near the Meramec River compared to four years ago. Sadly, the bridge was condemned, its road bed removed. If you have interest in Route 66, consider donating to repair and reopen this bridge.
Zombie Subdivisions, Revisited
Beyond the manicured lawns off of Crescent Road, the zombies appear out of nowhere. Weeds, as tall as grown men, fill the fields of dreams where McMansions had once dared to tread. The pavement has prematurely aged, a thin veneer of blacktop on the surface of the heavy clay. Not much has changed out here…
Return to Pevely Farms, Lewisburgh, Meramec Valley
The isolated southern side of the Meramec River Valley continues to fascinate us. We had previously spotted this railroad viaduct the last trip, and this time we drove down. It’s developed quite the patina over the years. Pevely Farms was a show farm, from what I understand, and I suspect these might have been original…
Jarville House, Queeny Park
Update: The American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog has moved back to New York City. Jarville House is one of the oldest houses in St. Louis County, built in 1853. It was built in the Greek Revival style, but when it was purchased by Edgar Queeny, the son of the founder of Monsanto, it…
Old Farmstead, Demolition Looming
Update: Demolished by late 2015. Now the site of a giant subdivision. Someone died, and that meant it was time to sell off his land for a bunch of McMansions. He was one of the last holdouts, selling fruits and vegetables at a roadside stand at Clayton and Schoettler roads. St. Louis County tax records…
Old Homesteads, Far West St. Louis County
Out west are all sorts of surprises, tucked between the valleys and subdivisions are old log cabins, such as the one off of Valley Road, or the old farmhouse off of Strecker. This old farm house below has sat empty for years now, despite being close to Clarkson Road on Kehrs Mill. The barn still…
Making the World a Better Place?
One of the last pieces of flat land left out in the western edge of St. Louis County, the fields once owned by the small Cahtolic school, Linda Vista, has finally been swallowed by “progress.” The earth has been ripped away, revealing a strange mix of bedrock and soil. Trees hand precariously, and almost certainly…