4th Street and BroadwayStory of Dred Scott
Sometimes the fate of one person becomes entwined with the fate of an entire nation ....
In 1846, Dred Scott and his wife, Harriet, fought to end their enslavement here in the stately, domed building in front of you. It's now known as the Old Courthouse.
You see, while Scott was born enslaved, he had spent nearly nine years in free territory, where slavery was illegal. Missouri courts had a history of ruling that once a person was free, he or she was always free. The Scotts and a dedicated team of abolitionist lawyers decided to test the strength of this idea by suing for emancipation.
The case was tried and retried a number of times, and judgments were handed down and then appealed. Finally, over a decade after it began, the case made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The decision brought down by the highest court in the land would have massive consequences for the entire country. The court not only denied Dred Scott his citizenship; it also declared that he never had been free. The ruling meant that the federal government had no legal right to abolish slavery—not in the new territories, not anywhere. The decision shook the nation and moved the country even closer to war.
The Scotts were eventually emancipated and just a year later, Dred Scott died—finally a free man.
4th Street and Broadway
Story of The Last Sale of Slaves
The history of the Old Courthouse will always be linked with the name Dred Scott, but this building has other tales to tell. If you're not there already, go ahead and stand on the Courthouse steps facing the Arch.
The Old Courthouse is a symbol of justice, but in the decades leading up to the Civil War, a most unjust activity took place right here on these steps. Enslaved human beings were auctioned and sold to the highest bidder.
I'd like to tell you a powerful story about one of these slave auctions.
It begins on New Year's Day, 1861. Imagine. You are part of a large crowd gathered in front of the courthouse. Seven slaves are led to the top of the stairs. The auctioneer cries out,
"What will you bid for this able-bodied boy? There's not a blemish on him!"
The crowd begins to yell, "Three dollars! Three dollars!" But what is going on here? A normal price for a slave was three hundred dollars, or more. By now you realize that this is no regular crowd—these people are here to protest this auction ... to protest slavery. The bidding continues, yet the price never climbs. The auctioneer, defeated, leads away his prisoners.
According to this tale, this slave auction was the last one ever held on the courthouse steps. We know this isn't true—at least two more took place after that New Year's Day. In fact, this account is hard to verify. Nevertheless, it stands as a reminder of the very real auctions that happened on this spot and the very real people who were bought, sold, and enslaved right here in St. Louis.
Planter's House Hotel
4th and Chestnut streets
The intersection of 4th and Chestnut streets is the former site of the grand Planter's House Hotel. Nothing remains of it today, but in the 1860s you would have seen an impressive structure that stretched a full city block.
Here, wealthy citizens and celebrities gathered to be seen and entertained. But it wasn't all fun and frivolity.
During the Civil War this was the site of a meeting that would forever change the course of history in the state. In June of 1861, two giants of Missouri politics, Governor Claiborne Jackson and General Sterling Price, arrived here from Jefferson City to speak with Union leader Nathaniel Lyon.
War had only recently begun, and while Missourians had voted to stay in the Union, the future of this state was still very uncertain. Citizens and soldiers alike had already clashed violently. And, secretly, Governor Jackson and Sterling Price planned for Missouri to join the Confederacy.
The tense debate got heated. By the end it was painfully clear. Compromise was impossible. The pro-Unionist Lyon closed the meeting, rose to his feet, and addressed each man individually. He furiously declared that rather than see the state align with the Confederacy, he would see every man, woman, and child in the state dead and buried. He famously finished his speech by announcing, "This means war."
War, it seemed, had been come to Missouri. The fighting would continue in the halls of the state capitol and in the streets.
At the intersection of Pine and Broadway, at the northwest corner, you will find the former site of the Berthold mansion.
Just prior to the outbreak of war, the country was heavy with tension. In St. Louis, citizens were choosing sides and preparing. Paramilitary forces arose. Eight St. Louisans—Southern sympathizers—formed one such group, the Minute Men; and this spot, the Berthold mansion, was their stronghold.
The mansion's namesake was not himself a Minute Man but a wealthy businessman named Bartholomew Berthold. In 1829, he constructed the grand, two-story mansion for his wife and children. Thirty years later, with the family long gone, the Minute Men took over the Bertholds' former home.
Their first order of business was a pro-secessionist demonstration. Early one morning in 1861, St. Louisans awoke to find a Southern flag prominently displayed atop the mansion. Crowds of angry Union supporters gathered to demand its removal, but Minute Men guarded the doors and a menacing pile of bricks sat on the second-floor veranda. The next morning, the flag still remained.
This was probably one the first Southern flags to fly in Missourithe Confederacy had yet to create an official emblem. By multiple accounts, it was a hodgepodge of colors and symbols, amateurish at best. But, that piece of cloth flying defiantly over the Berthold mansion made its point. There were secessionist leanings in this deeply divided city.
510 South Locust Street
Are you at the corner of Locust and Broadway? If so, turn onto Locust toward 6th Street. Face south and you will see a sign marking the former location of the Mercantile Library.
Imagine a library. You might picture shelves of books, long wooden tables, and the hushed sounds of those in study. This is how the St. Louis Mercantile Library appeared when it opened in 1854. The library was meant to be a haven where it was said that "young men could pass their evenings agreeably and profitably, and thus be protected from the temptations to folly that ever beset unguarded youth in large towns." Then, the elegant building was three stories high, and the Grand Hall, on the third floor, was the largest assembly hall in St. Louis.
Fast-forward eight years, and instead of pages turning, you would hear boots marching. In 1862, the Grand Hall transformed into a drill hall for state militia. The year before, in this same room, delegates to a state convention had voted to not secede from the Union. Even in a place of learning, the Civil War had arrived.
Travel forward in time again to 1865, the final year of the war. At a second state convention, the library again served as the setting for a momentous decision. Here, the Missouri Emancipation Ordinance was adopted. Nearly 11 months in advance of the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution, slaves in Missouri were freed.
The Mercantile Library still exists today, making it the oldest continually operating library west of the Mississippi. If you'd like to visit, it's now housed on the campus of the University of MissouriSt. Louis.
Broadway and Utah Street
Welcome to Lyon Park, named for Union leader Nathaniel Lyon. It is also the former site of the United States Arsenal in St. Louis. Once you have found the path, walk toward the red granite obelisk at the park's center. We'll resume the tour there.
Have you found the monument? Go ahead and take a closer look. On this very spot Lyon organized his troops before carrying out what became known as the Camp Jackson affair.
In 1861, the U.S. Arsenal contained a massive stockpile of arms and ammunition; and it was Lyon's job to make sure that this important asset stayed under Union control.
And there was trouble brewing, or so he believed. You see, Lyon suspected that Southern sympathizers were planning to take over the Arsenal. Lyon had thousands of weapons and cartridges put on a steamboat and moved to Alton, Illinois, out of harm's way. But Lyon still wasn't satisfied. He decided to invade and capture Camp Jackson, where Missouri's state militia had gathered under General Daniel Frost. Lyon was convinced that it was Camp Jackson where this dubious plot was being hatched.
By the morning of May 10, 1861, General Frost had learned of the coming action. In desperation, he sent a message of protest to the Arsenal. He wrote to Lyon saying, "Sir, ... I am greatly at a loss to know what could justify you in attacking citizens of the United States."
But protest was futile; Lyon had already made up his mind. To save the arsenal and preserve Union control of Missouri, he would attack. That day, Union soldiers began marching toward Camp Jackson. Be sure to visit the Camp Jackson stop to hear about the outcome of this fateful decision.
As you approach the riverfront, look out onto the mighty Mississippi and try to picture a fall evening in 1863. An hour or so before sunset, a man peacefully pushes out onto the water to do some fishing. As he enters the river in his skiff, he pauses to admire the massive Imperial steamship docked along the shore. Even when tied up for repairs, the Imperial looks impressive. Suddenly, something fleeting catches his eye. Someone is creeping along the cabin decksetting fire to the Imperial!
This was the real-life experience of St. Louisan Frank Martin. From his small fishing boat, Martin yelled loudly.
Fireboats rushed to the scene but couldn't halt the swiftly spreading flames. The combustion continued, cutting a treacherous path north, consuming another two vessels.
When it finally subsided, there was momentary peace. But the incendiaries—today we would call them "arsonists"—were not finished terrorizing the St. Louis riverfront. The fires continued for weeks. The Mississippi was indeed a war zone, but instead of guns and cannons, the weapon of choice was fire.
Banishment of Southern Sympathizers
It's hard to imagine being shipped away from your own home, possibly to never return. But in a divided St. Louis, having the wrong political convictions had dire consequences.
Back in 1863, in the heat of early summer, twenty-one people were forced onto a ship named, the Belle Memphis. These St. Louisans were being banished from their city for having Southern sympathies.
Five of the women on board were accused of being "secret rebel ... agents." One woman, Lily Frost, was accused of being a spy simply because she exchanged letters with her Confederate husband. Lily was pregnant when she boarded the Belle Memphis, and her other children were forced to stay behind in St. Louis. The ship eventually docked in a Tennessee port, and the unfortunate men and women were left to make their way in a new, unfamiliar place. Most would never again call St. Louis home.
Tucker Boulevard between Washington Avenue and Olive Street
Once you reach the corner of Washington Avenue and Tucker Boulevard, you have found the northernmost point of the Mississippi Valley Sanitary Fair.
Most St. Louisans know about the monumental World's Fair that took place in 1904. Yet, many years earlier, another huge fair dazzled residents and visitors from all over the country.
During the Civil War this city, like many others, was overcome with illness, severe injury, and death on a scale never before seen. With few public resources to help, citizens stepped in; and in 1864, supporters of the Union cause planned a fund-raiser for U.S. soldiers and the families they left behind.
Opening day of the Sanitary Fair was a public holiday, and a patriotic feeling washed over the crowd. Visitors happily loosened their purse strings to bid on extravagant raffle items.
Among the many goods for sale, there was one that caused quite a stir. A local reverend described the shocking scene, "the Germans ... were given a large space in the building where they patriotically sold lager beer, and a host of people patriotically drank it!"
The event was deemed a great successbringing in a profit of a half a million dollars, critical medical supplies, and some much-needed relief to a war-weary city.
Broadway and Clark Avenue
Our next stop is at the intersection of Broadway and Clark streets. The street names have changed, but back in the Civil War era, this was the corner of Myrtle and 5th streets, and the former business of one Bernard M. Lynch.
If you lived in St. Louis prior to the war, you would have recognized Bernard Lynch. And his profession was as grisly as his name. You see, Lynch was a slave dealer—and a successful one. In 1850 some 30 slave dealers set up shop in St. Louis, but in 1859 only two remained. Lynch was one of them.
Right here, at this corner, stood a building known as Lynch's Slave Pen, ominously dubbed by one Missouri newspaper as the "Hotel de Lynch."
Sadly, Lynch's pen held children—its prisoners were often 5 to 16 years old. A local minister, Galusha Anderson, called this site " a place hallowed by the sighs and tears of bondmen and of motherless children."
In 1861 the Union took over the building and converted it to the Myrtle Street Prison.
The corner of today's Broadway and Clark Avenue was not once, but twice a site where men, women, and children were imprisoned. First it was Bernard M. Lynch's infamous slave pen, and in 1861 Union forces acquired the property and converted it into the Myrtle Street Prison.
Maybe you've heard of one of the prison's most notorious inmates, Colonel Charles R. Jennison, better known as "Doc" Jennison, a ruthless Union soldier?
During the 1850s, Jennison's men, called "Jayhawks," struck fear into the hearts of Missourians as they terrorized and looted towns along the Kansas-Missouri border.
By late 1861, even Union authorities had had enough of their lawless colonel. A superior of Jennison's wrote to Washington from St. Louis saying, "The conduct of the forces under ... Jennison has done more for the enemy in this State than could have been accomplished by 20,000 of his own army."
Jennison was arrested, but his imprisonment sparked controversy in the city. Some argued that his only offense was trying to set slaves free. In the end, Jennison was released to a cheering crowd who called him a "faithful soldier of the Union" and "a ... fighting Abolitionist."
634 S. Broadway
Once you reach 634 Broadway, you have arrived at the Eugene Field House. Unlike many of our stops, the home of Roswell Martin Field still stands today and bears the name of his famous son.
The Field House was built as part of "Walsh's Row," a series of 12 brick houses constructed in 1845. The other 11 houses are gone now, but thanks to preservation efforts, the Field House is a National Historic Landmark.
So why was the building worth saving? For many, the home's greatest claim to fame is as the birthplace of the poet Eugene Field. But Eugene's father, Roswell, also has an important place in St. Louis history.
Roswell Field was a lawyer, and a smart one. He was born and raised in Vermont, where he entered college at the tender age of 11 and became a lawyer at 18. Many years later, in St. Louis, he took on a case that launched his career into the national spotlight.
In 1853 Roswell Field brought the suit of Dred Scott, a slave suing for his freedom, to the United States Circuit Court. Field worked on the case for another four years. A Washington lawyer took over when the suit finally went to the U.S. Supreme Court, but Field's name and reputation were forever linked with Dred Scott and his historic struggle.
To learn more about the Dred Scott case, be sure to visit the Old Courthouse site on this tour.
8th Street and Gratiot Street
Once you find the corners of 8th and Gratiot streets, you've arrived at the former site of the Union-run Gratiot Street Prison. Oddly enough, it was situated right in the middle of what was then one of St. Louis's wealthiest neighborhoods.
On Christmas Eve of 1861, 1,200 Confederate prisoners marched solemnly toward their fate. They were the first of many to be incarcerated in Gratiot—a strangely configured structure with a large octagonal tower looming over any unfortunate inmates who dared an escape.
Not only did Gratiot house prisoners of war but also women, children, and those unlucky enough to be charged with violating the law in a time of war. And, life in this overcrowded place could be miserable.
One prisoner, Griffin Frost, wrote about his experience in a diary:
"January 2. Gratiot is a very hard place ... fare so rough it seems an excellent place to starve.
January 5. There are now about eight hundred prisoners ... some two or three hundred eat at a time, and the tin plates and cups are never washed. ...
January 20. All through the night may be heard coughing, swearing, singing and praying, sometimes drowned by almost unearthly noises ... It is surely a hell on earth."
The building at Gratiot and 8th streets was not always a prison—before the war it was home to the McDowell Medical College, a school run by an eccentric and outspoken secessionist named Dr. Joseph McDowell. Frost probably would have disliked his meals even more had he known that the mess hall was once a dissection room.
Grand Boulevard and Olive Street
Once you reach the corner of Grand Boulevard and Olive Street, you have found the former site of Camp Jackson. In the Civil War era, this was on the western outskirts of St. Louis, in an area known as Lindell Grove.
On May 6, 1861, drilling soldiers came together in downtown St. Louis and marched westward to this spot.
Though this drilling exercise was an annual affair, Union captain Nathaniel Lyon suspected that this time was different. These militiamen, he feared, sympathized with the Confederate cause and were plotting to capture the U.S. Arsenal—hand with it, a crucial stockpile of weapons.
Lyon decided to disrupt this anticipated attack. On May 10, he organized thousands of troops loyal to the Union and marched toward Lindell Grove, surrounding Camp Jackson. When the militia's general, Daniel M. Frost, received a demand of surrender, he had little choice but to comply.
But this was not to be a peaceful surrender. As civilians learned of what was happening in their neighborhood, an angry crowd formed. The onlookers grew louder and angrier. Jeering turned into threats, and then things turned violent.
To this day, nobody knows who fired the first shots. But, by the end of the brief firestorm nearly three-dozen people, mostly civilians, were dead or mortally wounded. Tragically, the first casualties of the Civil War in Missouri included five children.
That day, Federal troops secured St. Louis, but the cost was high. Before the event many St. Louisans claimed neutrality in the conflict that was beginning to overtake the country. After the capture of Camp Jackson, the residents of this city were forced to choose sides.
Natural Bridge Road
Near the beginning of the war, Union soldiers began pouring into St. Louis for training. Colonel John O'Fallon, nephew of explorer William Clark and one of the wealthiest men in St. Louis, rented 150 acres of his country estate to create Benton Barracks.
While nothing remains of this military encampment, imagine being a St. Louis citizen during the 1860s, watching up to 30,000 soldiers preparing for war here on the northern side of the city. Looking at this vast compound, you would have seen a series of well-kept whitewashed buildings, stables, warehouses, a hospital, even a photograph studio and saloons. After 1863, you may have also noticed what was then an unusual sight in St. Louis—African American soldiers. They were known back then as the United States Colored Troops; and in addition to their military service, these soldiers could attend school, often for the first time.
A visit to the barracks might also have meant a glimpse of "Parson Tooke," the barracks' unusual chaplain. In 1861, when the site was under construction, a local named James Tooke refused to move. Rather than forcing him to leave, the General made him the on-site chaplain. Tooke was an atheist, but he knew a good deal when he saw it. He agreeably took the job.
After the war, John O'Fallon reclaimed his estate.
South of Lafayette Square; Shenandoah Avenue to Indiana Avenue
Just south of Lafayette Park near downtown St. Louis once stood Fort Number Four—part of a series of Union held fortifications around St. Louis.
On October 29, 1864, this site was the scene of deadly retribution. On that day, a crowd of 3,000 gathered to witness the execution of six unlucky Confederate soldiers.
The month prior, Union Major James Wilson and six of his enlisted men were captured and turned over to Timothy Reeves, a Confederate guerrilla leader. Reeves and Wilson were old enemies, and when Reeves gained the upper hand, he showed no mercy. Wilson and the six Union soldiers were summarily executed. News of the shocking event reached St. Louis; and the next day, special orders were issued. Federal troops were to find at random a major and six enlisted men from the rebel army to receive the same treatment as these Union soldiers.
The ill-fated men were selected from the prisoners being held in St. Louis at the time. That October day, they were led from their confinement and escorted in silence to this spot, Fort No. 4. Twenty-one-year-old Charles Minnekin asked permission to speak. The condemned man said, "I have been a Confederate soldier four years and have served my country faithfully. I am now to be shot for what other men have done, that I had no hand in, and know nothing about. ... Oh Lord, be with me."
Some of the firing party hesitated. An officer harshly reminded them of their duty, saying that many Confederates had taken the lives of many innocent Union men. The prisoners' hands were tied. Their eyes were blindfolded. Shortly after 3:00 p.m., they were killed.
Their graves are now in a row, one next to the other, in Jefferson Barracks.
7400 Grant Road
During the Civil War, Ulysses S. Grant lived in seven different homes in St. Louis. Only two remain preserved. One is White Haven, now part of the Grant National Historic Site. Once you arrive, look for the green two-story building.
When Grant arrived in St. Louis in 1843, he had just recently graduated from West Point, where he had a roommate from St. Louis named Fred Dent. After getting set up at Jefferson Barracks, Grant—then popularly known as "Sam"—politely paid a visit to Fred's parents. The Dents lived on a plantation surrounded by rolling hills and locust trees. They called the place White Haven. This would become Grant's future home, and Mr. Dent's daughter, Julia, would be his future bride. In fact, Grant proposed to Julia right here on the stoop.
Ironically, the hero of the Union cause lived among enslaved men, women and children. In fact, eighteen slaves lived and worked here at the Dent home. Ulysses Grant made many improvements at White Haven, but it was the labor of Dan, Henrietta, Sue, Ann, Jeff, and many others that really kept this large farm running.
Despite their many moves, Grant always considered White Haven his home.
Northwest corner of 14th and Howard streets
This corner of 14th and Howard streets was once the site of a brewery owned by Charles Gottfreid Stifel. Born in Germany, Stifel came to St. Louis in 1849 as part of an influx of German immigrants who had fled their homeland following the failed revolution of 1848. With their progressive ideas about individual rights and freedoms, they staunchly opposed slavery.
Anticipating the coming conflict, in 1860, Stifel bought 25 muskets and began drilling fellow Germans in the malt house of his brewery. Named colonel of the 5th Missouri Volunteer Infantry, Stifel readied himself and his men for battle.
One year later, while marching through the city, Stifel's unit was ambushed by angry secessionists at Walnut and 5th streets near the Second Presbyterian Church. Stifel's men, one thousand strong, were a bit green. They began firing wildly before regaining control. When the smoke cleared, eight people were dead and a ninth mortally wounded. The soldiers, a bit dazed, marched on.
A preacher from a nearby churched summed up the feeling in the air by saying, "It was intense, bitter, hot ... On a city thus agitated and torn midnight darkness at last graciously fell."
Chouteau Avenue between 8th and St. Paul streets
If you've reached the south side of Chouteau between 8th and St. Paul, you've arrived at the former site of a lavish home known as Brant mansion. For a few months in 1861, the former private residence became a Union military headquarters run by General John Frémont and his closest advisers.
One confidant stood out in particular. Here at Brant mansion Jessie Benton Frémont, General Frémont's wife, became known as "General Jessie." The daughter of Missouri's first U.S. senator, Thomas Hart Benton, Jessie was ambitious, shrewd, and politically minded; often acting as her husband's liaison, Jessie suggested the extravagant rental of Brant mansion, which at the time belonged to her relatives.
Frémont's tenure at Brant mansion was short lived. In August 1861 he angered President Lincoln by putting Missouri under martial law and threatening to immediately free those enslaved in the state. In a bold move, Jessie traveled to Washington to confront the president. She passionately argued her husband's case but was disregarded. About the incident, she would later say: "Strange, isn't it that when a man expresses a conviction fearlessly he is reported as having made a ... forceful statement, but when a woman speaks thus earnestly, she is reportedly a lady who has lost her temper."
About a month later, a disastrous battle proved the tipping point. Frémont received a letter relieving him of command. He and "General Jessie" boarded a train for New York.
15 Plaza Square
Often, houses of worship seem immune to the politics of war. But St. John the Apostle and Evangelist Catholic Church was not a haven from the Civil War. It was an important part of it.
You see, not only was St. John's funded by donations from a Confederate militia, but its parish priest, the Irish immigrant Father John Bannon, was a Confederate soldier. While many Irish sided with the Union, there were other immigrants from that part of the world for whom the idea of states' rights reminded them of the fight to end the British occupation of their homeland.
And Father Bannon was one such person. He joined the Southern cause as military chaplain. In fact, General Sterling Price called him the bravest soldier he'd ever seen.
But, even as Bannon was revered on the Southern side, he was targeted by those sympathetic to the Union. On a cold December night in 1861, the Confederate priest narrowly escaped capture by Federal troops by disguising himself and making a hasty escape through the back door of the church. By the time the authorities made their way inside St. John's, Bannon was well on his way to the protection of the Confederate army in Springfield, Missouri.
5600-6600 Broadway, South St. Louis
In the Federal Western flotilla, 14 of the 22 ironclad gunboats were made at James B. Eads's shipyards in Carondelet, Missouri; and he shared in the design of four others at Mound City, Illinois. Eads's gunboats patrolled the western waters and helped secure the Mississippi River for the Union. James Eads, a celebrated engineer, constructed the Eads Bridge, spanning the Mississippi from St. Louis to Illinois. Upon its completion in 1874 it was the longest bridge of its kind in the world and the first to be constructed of steel.
Intersection of Manchester and Dale Avenues, former site of the Cheltenham Post Office
In 1864, this modest brick structure was the site of the Cheltenham Post Office. In September of that year, Cheltenham Postmaster Augustus Muegge reported that this small office was the site of a Confederate raid led by General Sterling Price. According to his account, he and his family fought off a group of "Rebel guerillas" in a final push to invade the region. This is likely the closest any Confederate factions got to the city of St. Louis.
Grand Dr. & Union Blvd.
Born in Germany, Franz Sigel came to St. Louis as a teacher at the German Institute in 1858. In the beginning of the Civil War, Sigel organized a regiment of Union volunteers, mostly German Americans, and became a major general. His 3rd Regiment, U.S. Volunteers, were involved in the capture of Camp Jackson in May 1861. The statue was funded by the Sigel Monument Association to honor German American patriots in the Civil War.
Lindell Blvd. & Confederate Dr.
This memorial to the Confederacy was sculpted by George Julian Zolnay in 1914. At the upper part of the granite shaft is a bronze relief of an allegorical figure, the Angel of the Confederacy. The bronze relief depicts a southern family about to send its only adult male into the war. On the reverse is a quote from Robert E. Lee: "We had sacred principles to maintain and rights to defend for which we were in duty bound to do our best, even if we perished in the endeavor." The memorial was donated by the Ladies Confederate Monument Association, and the statue was dedicated in December 1914.
Lagoon Dr. & Fine Arts Dr.
This statue, designed by J. Wilson McDonald, was dedicated in 1876 concurrently with the official dedication of Forest Park, and thus was the first statue to be installed in the park and the first statue in the city to honor a Civil War hero. Edward Bates was not a soldier, however; he was a lawyer and rose to the position of Attorney General in President Lincoln's Cabinet from 1861 to 1864. He was also a prominent Missouri politician. Bates also served as vice president of the Missouri Historical Society, which he co-founded.
Lindell Blvd. & Kingshighway Blvd. Entrance
The statue, designed by Wellington W. Gardner, commemorates Francis Blair's work as a United States Senator. As a general during the Civil War, he was a staunch Unionist. He, along with Nathanial Lyon, seized the U.S. Arsenal at St. Louis, protecting arms and ammunition from falling into secessionist hands—keeping the city and a large part of Missouri from joining the Confederacy. The statue is inscribed, "This monument is raised to commemorate ... the standard bearer of freedom in Missouri," and was donated by the Blair Monument Association in May 1885.
Formerly 615 Utz Lane, moved to Brookes Park, Hazelwood MO (southwest corner of Lindbergh and 1-270)
This is the original home of Confederate Major James Morgan Utz, a member of the Missouri State Guard. Utz served as a "special agent" for the Confederate army; and in his home he gave quarter to a clandestine group of secessionist raiders known as the "night riders." In 1864, Utz and another young man named Paul A. Fusz tried to procure quinine and other medical supplies for the Confederate army. They were arrested and charged as spies. Fusz—a minor—escaped with his life. Utz was condemned to death and was hanged at Gratiot Street on Christmas day, 1864.
This riverfront site (once a ferry crossing) commemorates an event that took place on May 21, 1855. In the quiet of the early morning, a free woman of color and the widow of a prominent local pastor, Mary Meachum attempted to guide a group of runaway slaves to freedom. Their escape failed. Authorities, with the assistance of bounty hunter Bernard M. Lynch (see the stop on Lynch's Slave Pen), apprehended several of the men, women, and children. Charges were brought against Meachum, but as her presence at the event couldn't be proven, she was released. Several of the escaped were slaves of Henry Shaw, who was a prominent St. Louis botanist and founder of the Missouri Botanical Gardens.
North Side of City Hall, Market and Tucker Boulevard
There are many statues honoring Ulysses S. Grant; however, the statue on the north side of City Hall in downtown St. Louis is one of the earliest commemorations of the Civil War hero and President. Made of bronze and granite, this depiction of Grant as a soldier in battlefield attire was designed by St. Louis artist Robert Porter Bringhurst and unveiled in 1888.
Civil War in Missouri Exhibit 5700 Lindell Boulevard
The Missouri History Museum has been active in the St. Louis community since shortly after the Civil War. Founding members of the Missouri Historical Society, which operates the Missouri History Museum as well as the Library and Research Center at 225 South Skinker Boulevard, joined together "for the purpose of saving from oblivion the early history of the city and state." The museum holds many records related to the Civil War and is the site of a once in a lifetime exhibition, The Civil War in Missouri, open from November 12, 2011 to March 16, 2013.
Scroll through the gallery to see a selection of the many Civil War artifacts and images the Missouri History Museum holds in its collection.
In Benton Park
Friedrich Hecker was a well-known lawyer, orator, politician, and refugee who fled from revolutionary Germany in 1848. Hecker's reputation as a fierce and sometimes radical advocate of popular rights followed him to America; and he was received in New York with an extravagant welcome as twenty thousand filled the streets to hear him speak. When the U.S. Civil War began, Hecker (despite being fifty years old) enlisted as a private in the Union Army. He was honored as a hero in the German American community in St. Louis. In 1882, some 15,000 citizens came to Benton Park to see this monument unveiled.
In Reservoir Park
German Americans were an important influence during the Civil War. In 1913 the German-American Alliance created this memorial to honor "the Germans spirit of enlightenment in America" by commemorating three wartime German journalists, Carl Daenser, Emil Preetorius, and Carl Schurz. All three men worked for German-language newspapers in St. Louis and took strong pro-Union, anti-slavery positions during the war. The bronze memorial was designed by Wilhelm Wandschneider and titled, The Naked Truth.
10th and Olive
More than 40 citizens and soldiers had already been killed in the Camp Jackson riot on May 10, 1861 (see the stop on Camp Jackson), when another clash occurred on the streets of St. Louis. On June 17, 1861 soldiers of the 2nd Regiment, United States Reserve Corps, were marching down Seventh Street returning from their post guarding the railroads around the city. As the soldiers made their way toward Locust Avenue shots were fired. The wounded began to fall. Soldiers to the rear of the company began firing in return, aiming at the drug store and engine house where the shots seemed to have originated. Wayward bullets made their way into the Recorder's Court, which was in session. By the time order had been restored, nine more people had been killed.
In the fall of 1855, Ulysses S. Grant spent his time cutting down trees and hewing the timber to build his very own family log cabin. His wife Julia was less than pleased with the final result. In her memoirs she said, "I did not like it at all, but I did not say so. I got out all my pretty covers, baskets, books, etc., and tried to make it look home-like and comfortable, but this was hard to do. The little house looked so unattractive that we facetiously decided to call it Hardscrabble." The Grants lived at Hardscrabble for just a few months. The cabin is still with us today, but not at its original location, which is now St. Paul's Cemetery. Hardscrabble has been disassembled, moved, and rebuilt a full three times—including to the grounds of the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. Grant's Farm, where Hardscrabble currently resides, is an attraction owned and operated by Anheuser Busch. You can see Hardscrabble on a tram tour of the park, or from Gravois Road.
I-270 and Telegraph Road
Jefferson Barracks came into existence in 1826 and was named after Thomas Jefferson, who had died that year. In the decades before the Civil War, the barracks served as an important military post in conflicts with American Indians and in the war with Mexico. Long before they achieved Civil War fame, men who would eventually face each other in battle called the barracks home. During the Civil War the barracks housed an important military hospital and cemetery. For some 16,000 Union and Confederate soldiers, Jefferson Barracks was their final resting place. Today four structures from the Civil War era remain. On your visit, you can stop and see the Laborer's House, a stable, the Old Ordnance Room (which houses exhibitions on military history), and the Powder Magazine.
4947 West Florissant Avenue
Bellefontaine was established in 1849 to provide additional gravesites following a tragic cholera epidemic that ravished St. Louis. Architect Almerin Hotchkiss designed the graveyard and shaped it into the peaceful landscape you still see today. Graves of those who were involved with the Civil War have designated markers. Be sure to ask at the front office for a map that will lead you to these plots. You can find the burial sites of several people mentioned elsewhere on this tour, including Roswell Field, Dred Scott's tireless advocate and lawyer, and Charles Stifel, the brew master turned soldier.
West Florissant Avenue
Calvary, a Catholic cemetery, was established in 1867. General William Tecumseh Sherman was buried here in 1891, when a funeral procession larger than St. Louis had ever seen accompanied him to the burial site. Dred Scott is buried in Calvary next to his wife, Harriet. Yet, his grave was unmarked until the 100th anniversary of his famous court decision. The monument you see today, commemorating "a simple man who wanted to be free," was not erected until 1957. Be sure and take note of any pennies set upon Scott's gravestone. Visitors often leave the coins featuring Abraham Lincoln's portrait—a way, perhaps of honoring his work to free the enslaved.
Salisbury and North 20th Street
During the Civil War years, Hyde Park was a beautiful grove and a leisure spot for St. Louisans. On July 4, 1863, the normally peaceful park turned violent. During a public festival, several small incidents—men sneaking in without paying the ticket price, a delayed balloon ascension stirred and upset a war-weary crowd. A riot began. In an attempt to hold back the angry fairgoers, Union soldiers began to fire their weapons. Two civilians along with four off-duty soldiers from Benton Barracks were killed.
Grand and Cass Avenue
In 1863, the U.S. government organized a Calvary Bureau for the training of horses to assist Union troops. The intersection of Grand and Cass Avenue marks the western edge of the U.S. Corral, an expansive area (with Cass Avenue running through the center) functioning like a small, self-contained town. In addition to the many long rows of stables, the Corral contained shops, warehouses, cavalry offices, blacksmithing and carpentry outfits, and homes for those working within the enclosed site. The Corral, which was in operation for only one year, was responsible for reading nearly 50,000 horses for battle.
East side of Broadway between Market and Walnut Streets
The first Merchant's Exchange building (built in 1857), which served as the headquarters for the Chamber of Commerce, once stood on the east side of Main (Broadway) Street between Market and Walnut Streets. The Chamber of Commerce was the body responsible for expressing the opinions and concerns of the St. Louis business community. But, during the Civil War, the Chamber did not speak with one voice. Its members included both men faithful to the Union and men ready to entertain secession. In 1862, the Unionists split from the Chamber to form their own body, the Union Merchants Exchange. The new organization vowed to purge the city's business community "of every vestige of treason." The marginalized Chamber of Commerce, which diminished in size after the split, was eventually ordered to disband. During the war, the fiercely loyal Union Merchants Exchange took over as the official business organization in the city.
6727 Michigan Avenue
John S. Bowen was one of the many men of the Missouri Militia captured by Nathaniel Lyon's troops at Camp Jackson in 1861. Bowen, like his fellow militiamen, was paroled the following day; he and several of his soldiers immediately abandoned their US military appointments and joined the Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia. Bowen was made a colonel and organized the first Missouri regiment in support of the Confederacy. His two-story family home at 6727 Michigan Avenue remains. It is the last house on the right just before you arrive at Krauss Street.
This tour is available as a mobile app for iPhone and Android. Learn more.