Historical Sites & Museums
in St. Louis & St. Louis County

Bellefontaine Cemetery 4947 W. Florissant Avenue St. Louis, MO 314-381-0750		Bellefontaine Cemetery, established after the cholera epidemic of 1849, is home to a number of historic and architecturally significant mausoleums and monuments. Notable graves include explorer William Clark, beer magnate Adolphus Busch, inventor and engineer James Eads, and poet Sara Teasdale.
General Daniel Bissell House 10225 Bellefontaine Road Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO 314-868-0973		Located near Fort Bellefontaine is the historic former home of General Daniel Bissell. Bissell, who had served as a message boy during the American Revolutionary War and took command of Fort Belle Fontaine in 1809. On display at the house are some of Bissell's U.S. Army-issue weapons, uniforms and other equipment which are of the same vintage and design of those used by Lewis & Clark. Bissell's military commissions signed by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson are also on view.
Black World History Museum 2505 St. Louis Avenue St. Louis, MO 314-241-7057		The Black World History Museum tells the stories of famous and not-so-famous African-American Missourians including George Washington Carver, Dred and Harriett Scott, musician Clark Terry, Clara Brown, Hiram Young and others. Visitors can experience the 'Middle Passage' on a slave ship made to scale or tour an authentic slave cabin. Artifacts, historical documents and the works of local and national artists are also on display.
Calvary Cemetery 5239 W. Florissant Avenue St. Louis, MO 314-381-1313		Calvary Cemetery, established in 1857, is one of St. Louis' largest cemeteries. The graves of many noteworthy St. Louisans, including Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman; Dred Scott, the slave who gained a place in American history when he sued for his freedom, and playwright Tennessee Williams, are here. The cemetery also contains many architecturally significant tombs and memorials.
Campbell House Museum 1508 Locust Street St. Louis, MO 314-421-0325		Built in 1851, the first house in the elegant neighborhood Lucas Place, the Campbell House, was the home of renowned fur trader and entrepreneur Robert Campbell and his family from 1854 until 1938. The museum contains hundreds of original Campbell possessions including furniture, paintings, clothing, letters, carriages and a unique set of interior photographs taken in the mid-1880s.
Carondelet Historical Society 6303 Michigan Avenue St. Louis, MO 314-481-6303		The Carondelet Historic Center is housed in the former Des Peres School where Susan Blow conducted the first publicly funded, continuously operating kindergarten in the United States in 1873. The Center is a museum that preserves the history of the area of St. Louis known as Carondelet and the memory of Blow. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places and is the home of the Carondelet Historical Society. Visit the Carondelet Historical Society website for more information.
Civilian Conservation Corps Museum 16 Hancock Avenue Lemay, MO 314-487-8666		The Civilian Conservation Corps Museum illustrates the history of the CCC and how the enrollees lived in the CCC camps. Those who were involved with the CCC were and are generally proud of their association with the organization. The story of the CCC is told through artifacts and photographs of CCC work projects, camps, and personnel. Visit the Civilian Conservation Corps Museum website for more information.
Cupples House 3673 W. Pine Blvd. St. Louis, MO 314-977-2666		The Samuel Cupples House is located on the campus of St. Louis University. This historic mansion is a rare example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in St. Louis. The 42-room, castle-like mansion was built by wealthy St. Louis entrepreneur Samuel Cupples and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It has been restored to its original splendor with many of its opulent original furnishings and is open for public tours. The McNamee Gallery houses educational exhibitions and art exhibits.
DeMenil Mansion 3352 DeMenil Place St. Louis, MO 314-771-5828		The DeMenil Mansion, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is one of only a handful of homes remaining that were built in the Greek Revival style in St Louis. The oldest part of the home dates from 1848 and was built by Henri Chatillon, a hunter and guide for the American Fur Company. The DeMenil family purchased the home in 1856 and made two additions that transformed the farmhouse into the mansion it is today. The mansion is an excellent example of a Victorian home of a wealthy family and hosts the largest permanent collection of memorabilia from the 1904 World's Fair. Visit the DeMenil Mansion website for more information.
Eads Bridge St. Louis Riverfront St. Louis, MO		The Eads Bridge was designed and built by engineer James B. Eads and opened July 4, 1874 as the world’s largest bridge and the first railroad bridge to cross the Mississippi River. The bridge was dedicated as a National Historic Landmark in 1964, and the last train passed over the bridge in 1974. The bridge was closed to automobile traffic in 1991. In 1993 rail traffic was restored when the first phase of MetroLink project was completed. A restoration project initiated by the City of St. Louis was completed in 2003 and the bridge was reopened to automobile traffic. The Eads Bridge features a bicycle and pedestrian lane.
Eugene Field House & St. Louis Toy Museum 634 S. Broadway St. Louis, MO 314-421-4689		The Eugene Field House and St. Louis Toy Museum is the boyhood home of Eugene Field, the "Children's Poet," whose works include "Little Boy Blue" and "Dutch Lullaby" ("Wynken, Blynken, and Nod"). In 1902 Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) dedicated a plaque marking the home as Field's birthplace. The plaque is still on the front of the house. The home contains many furnishings that belonged to the Field family. Several rooms are used to display toy collections and traveling exhibits.
Fort Belle Fontaine 13002 Bellefontaine Road Spanish Lake, MO 314-544-5714		Fort Belle Fontaine was established in 1805 on the south bank of the Missouri River near its confluence with the Mississippi River. The Fort was the first U.S. military outpost west of the Mississippi River. The site is preserved today as a St. Louis County Park but no physical evidence of the original structures remains as shifts in the Missouri River channel have long buried the original site underwater. The park also offers sweeping views of the Missouri River and overlooks the location of sites where Lewis and Clark camped in 1804. Also on the grounds are the Grand Staircase built by Works Progress Administration in the 1930s as a scenic overlook and an outdoor living room and barbeque pits.
Golden Eagle River Museum Bee Tree County Park St. Louis, MO 314-631-6508		Golden Eagle River Museum is a small museum dedicated to documenting and preserving the history of river transportation. The museum is located in a mansion that was the summer home of a wealthy St. Louis businessman. The home is situated on the bluffs above the Mississippi River with great views of the river.
Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site 7400 Grant Road St. Louis, MO 314-842-3298		White Haven was the childhood home of Julia Dent Grant, wife of Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th president of the United States. The Ulysses and Julia lived at White Haven from 1854 to 1859 and they planned to spend their retirement years there. Only 10 acres remain of the original 1,000-acre plantation but the National Park Service has preserved the site and has restored the main house, stone summer kitchen, icehouse, chicken house, and horse stable to their 1875 appearance. The horse stable contains a museum about the lives and legacy of Ulysses and Julia. The park's visitor center has additional exhibit space, a movie theater, an information desk, and a gift shop.
Hawken House 1155 S. Rock Hill Road Webster Groves, MO 314-968-1857		The historic 1857 Christopher Hawken House is the oldest house in suburban Webster Groves. Christopher Hawken was the son of Jacob Hawken who, with his brother Samuel, manufactured the Hawken Rifle. Called the "gun that settled the West," it was the rifle of choice of many famous American explorers and trappers. Listed on the National Historic Register, The Hawken House is an excellent example of a Federal/Greek Revival home. It is decorated with furnishings of the era and is home to the Webster Groves Historical Society.
Jefferson Barracks County Park 251 Cye Road Lemay, MO 314-544-5714		Jefferson Barracks was established in 1826 as the country’s first “Infantry School of Practice,” and served as a major military installation until 1946. Named in honor of former President Thomas Jefferson, the post played an important role in westward expansion. Jefferson Barracks served as a gathering point for troops and supplies bound for service in all major conflicts beginning with the Mexican-American War through World War II. Jefferson Barracks is now a county park perched on a scenic bluff overlooking the Mississippi River. Historic features on the property include the Laborer’s House, the Stable, Powder Magazine Museum, and the Old Ordnance Room.
Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery 2900 Sheridan Road LeMay, MO 314-260-8691		Jefferson Barracks, one of the National Cemetery Administrations oldest interment sites, has served as a burial place soldiers from all wars. Although Jefferson Barracks was formally established as a national cemetery in 1866 the first burial to have occurred in 1827. The old cemetery contains approximately 20,000 gravesites including more than 11,000 from the Civil War. As space became limited, the cemetery was expanded to more than double its size in the 1890s. Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial 11 N. 4th Street St. Louis, MO 314-655-1700		Located on the banks of the Mississippi River in downtown St. Louis, the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial was established in 1935 to commemorate the westward growth of the United States between 1803 and 1890. The park was established to commemorate the Louisiana Purchase, the subsequent westward movement of American explorers and pioneers, the first civil government west of the Mississippi River, and the debate over slavery raised by the Dred Scott case. The complex consists of the Gateway Arch, the Museum of Westward Expansion, and St. Louis' Old Courthouse.
Scott Joplin House 2658A Delmar Blvd. St. Louis, MO 314-340-5790		Of all the houses and clubs in which ragtime composer Scott Joplin lived and worked in St. Louis, only the second floor flat, which he and his wife Belle Hayden Joplin moved in 1900, survives. The apartment has been restored and furnished with period pieces so visitors can experience Joplin's modest lifestyle. The building also has museum exhibits interpreting Joplin's life and work, and St. Louis during the ragtime era. Visit the Scott Joplin House website for more information.
Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing 28 East Grand St. Louis, MO 314-416-9930		The nine-acre Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing site on the St. Louis Riverfront Trail is the first site in Missouri to be accepted in the National Park Service's National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. The site commemorates the attempt by was Mary Meachum, a free woman of color and the widow of a prominent African American clergyman to help a small group of runaway slaves and their guides cross the Mississippi River into Illinois. Because the slaves belonged to Henry Shaw, a prominent St. Louisan, the local newspapers covered the event. Visit the Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing website for more information.
Missouri Historical Museum Lindell and DeBaliviere Forest Park St. Louis, MO 314-746-4599		The Missouri History Museum is dedicated to documenting and interpreting the history of the St. Louis area. The museum is housed in a building formerly called the Jefferson Memorial in honor of President Thomas Jefferson. In 2000 the addition of the Emerson Electric Center to the building gave the Missouri History Museum more exhibit space and additional facilities.
Mudd's Grove 302 W. Argonne Drive Kirkwood, MO 314-965-5151		Mudd's Grove is an antebellum, brick Greek revival house built in 1859 and named for Henry T. Mudd who bought the house and 100 adjoining acres in 1866. Through the years, Mudd's Grove was home to many local families before it was bought by the Kirkwood Historical Society in 1992 and opened for public tours.
The Museum of Transportation 3015 Barrett Station Road Kirkwood, MO 314-965-8007		The Museum of Transportation has one of the largest collections of transportation vehicles in the world, including more than 70 real locomotives -- some of which were used in the earliest days of railroading in the U.S. The wide variety of displays featured at the Museum also includes passenger cars, freight cars, streetcars, automobiles, buses, trucks, horse-drawn carriages, aircraft, and many other pieces.
Museum of Westward Expansion 11 N. 4th Street St. Louis, MO 314-655-1700		Located underneath the Gateway Arch, the Museum of Westward Expansion preserves some rare artifacts from the days of Lewis and Clark and the 19th century pioneers who helped shape the history of the American West. The museum contains an extensive collection of artifacts related to the westward expansion of the United States including an authentic American Indian tipi, an overview of the Lewis & Clark expedition, and Indian Peace Medals. Nearby is the Odyssey Theatre whose enormous screen and sound system offers the National Geographic film "Lewis and Clark: Great Journey West."
The Old Courthouse Broadway & Market Street St. Louis, MO 314-655-1600		The Old Courthouse was the second to be located on land donated by Auguste Chouteau and Judge John B.C. Lucas in 1816. The cornerstone was laid in 1839 and the building underwent a second period of construction beginning in 1851. The courthouse was abandoned in 1930 and deeded to the Federal Government in 1940. The National Park Service began preservation of the Old Courthouse following its incorporation into Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. The Old Courthouse is best known as the place where the Dred Scott slavery trials and where Virginia Minor's case for a woman's right to vote came to trial in the 1870s. Today the Old Courthouse is a museum documenting the history of the St. Louis area and the judiciary system of the 19th century. Recently the Old Courthouse was added to the National Park Service's National Underground Railroad Network To Freedom.
St. Louis Union Station Market Street St. Louis, MO 314-421-6655		Once the largest and most beautiful railroad station in the country, St. Louis Union Station is a  National Historic Landmark with more than 85 unique specialty shops, restaurants and entertainment venues. Union Station also includes the Memories Museum, self-guided walking tours and free-guided tours.
Sappington House Museum 1015 S. Sappington Road Crestwood, MO 314-729-4878		The Thomas Sappington house was built in 1808 by slave labor and has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Sappington House Museum is a rare example of federal architecture in the Midwest. The house is furnished with items made before 1835 and decorated as if the Sappingtons were still living in the house. In addition to the museum, the Sappington Complex includes the Sappington Barn restaurant, gift shop and the Library of Americana, which includes resources on American History and Decorative Arts. Visit the Sappington House Museum website for more information.
Taille de Noyer 1896 S. Florissant Road Florissant, MO 314-524-1100		Taille de Noyer is one of the oldest houses in St. Louis County. Originally a two-room cabin built in 1790 on a site that was part of a Spanish land grant, the house was enlarged in stages. The Florissant Valley Historical Society is housed in the elegant Taille de Noyer House. Taille de Noyer is an historic antebellum home with stately pillars across the front veranda. The house has been restored and furnished and a museum and a country store were established in the basement. Visit the Taille de Noyer website for more information.
Thornhill 15185 Olive Street Road Chesterfield, MO 636-532-7298		Thornhill was the home of Frederick Bates, Missouri’s second governor. The 1820s federal-style home is the oldest standing governor’s residence in Missouri and the site includes several out buildings, an orchard, and the family cemetery. The home has been restored so visitors can see how a typical farm family lived during the early 1800s. Thornhill is in Faust County Park which also is home to the Butterfly House, the St. Louis Carousel, and Faust Historical Village.
Frank Lloyd Wright House 120 N. Ballas Road Kirkwood, MO 314-822-8359		The Frank Lloyd Wright House in Ebsworth Park was originally built as a private residence for a St. Louis artist and his wife. It is one of only five Wright-designed structures in Missouri and the only one open to the public. The home is notable not only for its architectural integrity, but for retaining all of its original Wright-designed furnishings and fabrics. The home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is open for tours on a limited basis. Visit the Frank Lloyd Wright House website for more information.
For Travelers Heading Across the River
		Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway The Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway area is one of America’s newer scenic byways. With over 20,000 acres of forest and wetlands at the heart of the Mississippi Flyway, it is a nature lovers paradise. Visitors will find spectacular colors in the fall and bald eagles in the winter. History abounds in the region ranging from the prehistoric Cahokia Mounds to sites on the National Register of Historic Places.
For Travelers Heading Up River
		Meeting the Missouri River The two longest rivers of the United States, the Missouri and the Mississippi, meet at St. Charles County, Missouri. The Historic St. Charles downtown area offers visitors a variety of attractions including the Lewis and Clark Boat House and Nature Center, The Foundry Art Centre, and Missouri’s First State Capitol. Nearby is Confluence State Park and the Daniel Boone Home.
For Travelers Heading Down River
		French Colonial Country Down river of St. Louis and the Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway area is French Colonial Country. This five county area was heavily influenced by the French fur traders who inhabited the region from 1700 to 1840. Attractions include the town of Ste. Genevieve with the largest concentration of French Colonial architecture in North America, Forts de Chartre and Kaskaskia in Randolph County, and the Cahokia complex in St. Clair County.