Beef – it’s what’s for dinner…unless you can’t turn the cow into beef. Read on about the complications in the days before factory farming in St Louis.
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Saturday December 1 – Take A Historic St Louis Holiday Site Tour
Categories: Lafayette Park History, Lafayette Square
Here’s something guaranteed to be better than hanging out with your nearest screen. Grab a loved one, jump in the car, and take in a few historic sites, all dolled up for the holiday season. Lafayette Square is part of this event – a coordinated effort to bring you a little more in touch with […]
Ode to Ginkgo, or Eau de Ginkgo – Trees Of Lafayette Square
Categories: Lafayette Park, Lafayette Square History
Soon after a craft beer festival in Lafayette Park, a neighbor whose dog was mixing with mine commented on a strong smell, like that of someone having barfed nearby. That odor actually IS the smell of someone barfing nearby. It’s butyric acid, and it’s formed by the rotting fruit of the female ginkgo tree. I […]
1889 – The Street Railways Of Lafayette Square
Categories: Historical Photos, Historical Streets and Architecture, Lafayette Square History
1889 – The Street Railways Of Lafayette Square In the summer of 2016 a road crew working on Lafayette Avenue in front of Lafayette Park exposed a pair of iron rails. On request, they set them aside, and they lay near Lafayette and Missouri for several weeks. Unable to reach any consensus for display, the […]
1885 – A Lafayette Square Ghost Story
Categories: Lafayette Park History, Lafayette Square History
In which Lafayette Square comes to grips with its own supernatural phenomena. Suitable for anyone up for a good historical scare. Happy Halloween from the Lafayette Square Archives.
1874 – Don’t Fence Me In – The Barbed Wire King Of Lafayette Square
Categories: Historical People of Lafayette Square, Lafayette Square History
Between the current 2017 and 2021 Park Avenue addresses once sat the home of a man destined to become one of America’s wealthiest. Here’s the William Edenborn story.
1815 – Learning To See The Handwriting On The Wall
Categories: Historical Photos, Lafayette Square History
The carving in a carriage house door leads the author in a journey toward the madness of Napoleon.
1921 – Swekosky In His Early Years: Trouble In Paradise
Categories: Historical People of Lafayette Square, Historical Photos, Park Conservancy
Dr. William Swekosky became locally renowned as the “pallbearer of old mansions”, but his career got off to a rocky start over affairs of the heart.
Get Hip To Lafayette Square History – Lecture Series Begins Sept 9th At The Kern Pavilion
Categories: Lafayette Park History, Lafayette Square History, Park Conservancy, Uncategorized
Here’s a great opportunity to strengthen your roots here, and enjoy the historical background of Lafayette Square and Lafayette Park. The Lafayette Park Conservancy is sponsoring a series of three lectures at the Kern Pavilion (aka boathouse, at the big pond) in the park. They’re free and a great interactive way to learn more about […]
Four Easy-To-Find Architectural Styles In Lafayette Square
Categories: Historical Streets and Architecture, Lafayette Square History
A range of opinion exists on the architectural buckets our buildings fall into. Perhaps stimulating the discussion, here’s a (likely also debatable) field ID guide to Lafayette Square. Have to start somewhere.