SCHS 25th Anniversary
SCHS celebrates 25 years of service
Sappington-Concord Historical Society celebrates its 25th anniversary all year in 2017. On this page below are:
• Photos of the 25th anniversary dinner in Cotober
• List of sponsors of the 25th anniversary
• Photos of the 25th anniversary celebration in April
• History and accomplishments of Sappington-Concord Historical Society in its first 25 years
25th anniversary dinner
Photos below are of the Sappington Creek Bluegrass band headed up by Dr Jim Simpson on fiddle. Dr Simpson is Superintendent of the Lindbergh Schools.
Photo below left shows Terry Rupp, organizer and master of ceremonies for the evening. The photo at the bottom shows on the right, Dr Jim Sandfort, previous superintendent of Lindbergh Schools and one of the founders of Sappington-Concord Historical Society. On the left, Wayne Ashwell.
List of sponsors of the 25th anniversary
SCHS wishes to thank the following Sappington-Concord businesses for their generous contributions to the 25th anniversary dinner. We greatly appreciate their support of the SCHS mission to touch the lives of people in the Sappington and Concord areas with history. Please give these businesses your consideration as you shop and make your spending choices!
Breuers Auto Service
Breuers Auto Service
11432 Concord Village Ave, Saint Louis, MO 63123 Phone number (314) 843-8087
El Maguey
El Maguey
Mexican restaurant
135 Concord Plaza Shopping Center Sappington, Mo 63128 314-843-8265
Miss Sheri’s Cafeteria
Miss Sheri’s Cafeteria
5406 S. Lindbergh Blvd. in Southfield Center. For info on the daily specials call 314-849-1141
P’sghetti’s
P’sghetti’s Pasta and Sandwiches
5540 South Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63123 Phone: (314) 849-5332
Sam’s Steakhouse
Sam’s Steakhouse
10205 Gravois Road, St. Louis, MO 63123 314-849-3033
Sam’s hosted the SCHS 25th anniversary dinner. It was great!
The Barn Restaurant at Sappington House
The Barn restaurant at Sappington House
1015 S. Sappington Road, St. Louis, Missouri 63126 Phone: 314-966-8387
The Loft Gift Shop at Sappington House
The Loft Gift Shop at Sappington House
1015 S. Sappington Road, St. Louis, Missouri 63126 Phone: 314-984-5007
Conveniently located in The Barn restaurant, up the stairs on the second level.
Photos of the 25th anniversary celebration on April 23, 2017
Entertainment by the Queens of Swing led by Pat Treacy
Learn more about The Queens of Swing from the feature article about them in the South County Times newspaper. Follow them on Facebook.
History and accomplishments of Sappington-Concord Historical Society
Founded in 1992 by local citizens at the initiative of Dr Jim Sanfort, Superintendent of the Lindbergh Schools, the society’s purpose is to help students in the district learn about their local history. The mission of the society is to research, collect, and preserve the history of the Sappington and Concord areas, and then to educate the students and citizens of the areas. Over the years, the society has focused on three kinds of work; honoring veterans, educating students and preserving history.
Honoring veterans
The Hometown Heroes (2003) book, which contains reflections and reminiscences of over 140 veterans and their families, mostly of the World War II generation, with a few veterans of later wars and World War I. This book is still available for sale.
The society produced two videos in conjunction with the Special School District, featuring veterans of World War II relating their experiences. They were moderated by Ross Wagner. One video covered the Pacific theater and the other the European theater. The videos were shown on KETC.
The society in 1995 restored a monument which now stands in the Sappington-Concord Memorial Park at the intersection of Sappington Road and Gravois Road. The monument was built in 1944 to list the names of those serving in World War II. It was originally built of wood. Over the years it fell into disrepair until it was removed to a local school. In 1995, the Society rebuilt the memorial using Missouri red granite.
Since 1995 the society has held its annual Memorial Day service either in Memorial Park or up the hill on Denny Road on the Green at St. Lucas church.
In 2013, the society participated in the Vietnam traveling wall project spearheaded by the Sunset Hills Historical Society and located at Lindbergh High School.
The society has been a sponsor for three years of the Honor Glow at Historic Sappington House in conjunction with USA Cares which raises money in support of veterans in crisis. The HOnor Glow features holiday activities geared to families and there is a patriotic ceremony to honor veterans
Educating students
The society gifted a bust of Charles Lindbergh to the Lindbergh Schools which now stands in the lobby of the high school auditorium.
It restored the original school bell at Concord School and then arranged for its display in the lobby of the newly remodeled school so that students could see it every day is arrived at school. The bell was restored to commemorate 20th anniversary of the society.
The society has gave a plaque to the Lindbergh Schools to display in its new administrative offices at Sappington and Gravois Roads. The plaque commemorates the history of the site as one of commerce and community.
In 2016, the society started a three-year partnership with the Archaeological Institute of America St. Louis Society and the Sappington House to hold a summer archaeological dig at the house for high school students in the area.
The Past and Present Partnership programs to give students hands-on experiences with history
The Tombstone Tales programs, living histories of local persons of note
Preserving history and sharing it with adults through educational programs and presentations
Sappington-Concord: A History (1995), a book on the history of the area
The society publishes four times a year a newsletter of approximately 12 to 16 pages which features articles of local interest written by local authors. The society has printed and mailed its newsletter almost every quarter since its founding in 1992
The society maintains an archive of photos, documents and items of historical interest
The society has four general meetings a year, each with a presentation on a general interest topic of history
The society has four meet-at-the-site tours a year to visit a site of historic interest
The society sponsors a monthly presentation on a historical topic at Friendship Village Sunset Hills
The society sponsors a day time presentation twice each winter at Grant’s View library
In the photos below, the SCHS board of directors toasts the 20th anniversary of the construction of the WW II Honor Roll in Memorial Park
A toast to the 20th anniversary of the rebuilding of the World War II Honor Roll monument
Presentation on the dig at Sappington House - April 6
Getting ready for the 2017 dig at Sappington House
See a sampling of the artifacts found in 2016, hear the presentation on the dig done last year. Find out what may be coming up this year in the June dig. Sauturday, April 8 at 2:00 pm at the Oak Bend Branch library in the auditorium.
Rachael Azarra presents on the dig last year at Sappington House, gives a preview of 2017 and gives a tiny primer on the process of excavating and caring for artifacts found in a dig.
For students and teachers interested in joining the dig this year, there will be a little orientation session at the end of the talk.
Photos of last year’s dig
The Archaeological Dig at Sappington House 2017
June 1-17, Tuesdays to Saturdays, 10:00 to 3:00 pm
At the Sappington House:
1015 S. Sappington Road, St. Louis, Missouri 63126
Students: No fees. Can participate whole time or some part.
Apply through your school social studies teacher.
Call or email Steve: 314-918-1617, schs.webmanager@gmail.com
Teachers: To work with the students and professional archaeologists, learn the procedures, guide the students. Stipend available. Contact Steve.
The public: Come visit the site. See the work. Meet the participants.
See more about the dig at Sappington House.
See more about the student presentations.
See quotes from the students’ presentations.
See the main page for the dig at Sappington House
Parks featured in book St Louis Parks
Do you have some favorite St. Louis parks with fond memories? Are any of these on your list of most beloved? They are among the many featured in the book, “St. Louis Parks” by Nini Harris and Esley Hamilton with Foreward by Peter Raven, photography by Mark Scott and Steve Tiemann.
Below, is a more comprehensive list of St. Louis City and St. Louis County parks featured in the book:
City Parks
Lafayette Park
Benton Park
Tower Grove Park
Forest Park
Carondelet Park
O’Fallon Park
Francis Park
Bellerive Park
Christy Park
The Christy Greenway
Penrose Park
Willmore Park
Gateway Mall
Fairground Park
Lyon Park
Clifton Heights Park
Hyde Park
Soulard Park
Pontiac Park
Gravois Park
Laclede Park
Mount Pleasant Park
River des Peres Parkway
Marquette Park
Lindenwood Park
Tilles Park (on Hampton)
Berra Park
Carondelet Lions Park
Chain of Rocks Park
Cherokee ParkCompton Hill Reservoir Park
Columbus Square
Fountain Park
Fox Park
Jackson Place
Lucas Garden Park
McDonald Park
Minnie Wood Square
Robert Terry Park
St. Louis Place Park
Sherman Park
Sister Marie Charles Park
South St. Louis Square
Sublette Park
Tandy Park
Yeatman Square
County Parks
Creve Coeur Park
Faust Park
Fort Bell Fountaine
Greensfelder Park
Jefferson Barracks
Laumeier Park
Museum of Transportation
Queeny Park
Spanish Lake Park
Tilles Park
Bee Tree Park
Buder Park
Cliff Cave Park
Ebsworth Park
Kennedy Park
Lone Elk Park
St. Vincent Park
Sioux Passage Park
Suson Park
Veterans Memorial
Bella Fontaine Park
Bon Oak Park
Castle Point Park
Norman B. Champ Park
Endicott Park
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
Kinloch Park
Larimore Park
McDonnell Park
John Allen Love Park
Memorial Park
Ohlendorf West Park
West Tyson Park
Affton-White Rodgers Community Center
Black Forest Park
George H. Bohrer Park
Clydesdale Park
Lemay Park
Mathilda-Welmering Park
Ohlendorf Park
Simpson Park
Unger Park
George Winter Park
Oak Bend Library Display Case 1875 St Louis
Louis awaits your arrival… …at Oak Bend Library.
Logo for Missouri History Museum exhibit, “A Walk in 1875 St Louis.”
Say “hello” to Louis,
the host and tour guide of “A Walk in 1875 St >louis.” Louis is pictured in the graphic above, the man wearing the top hat and red tie. See what Louis can do for you…
…show you a preview at Oak Bend library of the fabulous 1875 pictorial maps of St Louis?
…or direct you to the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park to see the whole exhibit, “A Walk in 1875 St Louis?”
…and you would preferably say “yes” to both offers!
The September 2015 display case at Oak Bend Library features the 1875 pictorial maps of St Louis and the graphics in the exhibit, “A Walk in 1875 St Louis” at the Missouri HIstory Museum. The SCHS display will be in the case until the end of September. The display case is in the entrance lobby to the library, just on the left after entering through the front door. See map to Oak Bend Library.
The September 2015 display case at Oak Bend Library features the 1875 pictorial maps of St Louis and the graphics in the exhibit, “A Walk in 1875 St Louis” at the Missouri HIstory Museum.
The pictorial map by Compton and Dry from 1875 is like a “Where’s Waldo” puzzle, and it is just as much fun for adults as for kids.
For kids
There are four items to find in the large map. The items are shown on the two “Can you find it…” cards in the right portion of the case.
There are people, animals and action with trains, boats, carts all over the pictorial map. There are three of these micro action scenes with speech balloons to prompt a child to fill in the rest of the sentence. The three speech balloons start with:
• The guy on the streetcar says…
• The train engineer says…
• The passenger on the river boat says…
For adults
Compton and Dry have listed at the bottom of each plate, many businesses and other features including residences. Each is marked in the list with a number. The corresponding feature on the map is identified with that number. Maybe one of the homes or businesses identified on the map belonged to a member of our family!
For both kids and adults
There are a few samples of the graphics in the exhibit which cover the walls of the Missouri History Museum like graffiti. And the color of the graphics is a great contrast to the monotone maps. The graphic novel style illustrations are by Dan Zettwoch.
Take your kids, grandkids and yourself to the Oak Bend library to see the display case. And after getting a taste of the 1875 pictorial maps, get on down to the Missouri History Museum to see the absolutely spectacular exhibit, “A Walk in 1875 St.Louis!” in person.
See more about the 1875 pictorial maps and the exhibit on page Hold that pose St Louis!
See other display cases done by SCHS in the past several years.
Acknowledgements etc
The graphic novel style illustrations in this display are from photos of the Missouri History Museum exhibit, “A Walk in 1875 St. Louis.” The artist is Dan Zettwoch.
The exhibit is based on the Compton and Dry pictorial maps of 1875 St. Louis. The maps in the display are reproductions of the the Library of Congress original Compton and Dry pictorial maps titled, “Pictorial St. Louis, the great metropolis of the Mississippi valley; a topographical survey drawn in perspective A.D. 1875.”
The map reproduction sheets on the floor of the display case are on loan from SCHS board member Rose Marie Karius.
The book, “Pictorial St. Louis,” is on loan from SCHS member Gloria Wagstaff.
The display is sponsored by
Sappington-Concord Historical Society which has a mission to strengthen community by awakening interest in history for both adults and kids.
Direct questions and comments about the display to the contact page.
Esley Hamilton to Speak on St Louis County Parks
Former St Louis County Historian and preservationist, Esley Hamilton has spoken a number of times to SCHS and we are thrilled to have him back on October 28, 2015.
Esley will speak on St Louis County Parks. From only two parks in 1950, St. Louis County has created one of the outstanding park systems in the country. Esley Hamilton, longtime preservation historian for the county, tells this surprising story using pictures from his 2012 book with NiNi Harris, “St. Louis Parks.”
SCHS Fall General Meeting and Presentation
October 28, 2015 Wednesday, 7:00 pm
Early admittance starting at 6:30 to browse displays and other offerings
At Lindbergh High School in Anne Morrow Lindbergh Room
See directions to Lindbergh High School in Anne Morrow Lindbergh Room.
More about Esley Hamilton
See Esley’s book on Amazon
Esley spoke on St Louis Public Radio
See interview with Esley for the Beacon
See brief history of St Louis County Parks on St Louis County website
See article about Esley in the South County Times at the time of his retirement.
Esley Hamilton at White Haven. Photo by
Diana Linsley
of the South County Times
More about the book
“St Louis Parks” is available on Amazon and St Louis County libraries, including Tesson Ferry library. See image of book cover at top of this page.
The blurb on the back cover of “St. Louis Parks,” by NiNi Harris and Esley Hamilton
St. Louis has great parks. And St. Louisans are passionate about them. “St. Louis Parks” delivers portraits of St. Louis City and County parks, both major and minor, that prove why these common spaces are crucial to the region’s way of life. Acclaimed local historians NiNi Harris and Esley Hamilton take readers through the city and county, respectively. Dramatic photography by Mark Scott Abeln and Steve Tiemann complement the essays. “St. Louis Parks” evokes the unique character and history of the individual parks in the St. louis region and visualizes the need for green space, whether it is to escape the urban life or to come together as a community.
The forward to the book is by Peter Raven.
The table of contents lists many of the parks featured in the book. See expanded list of parks.
The book puts the parks in context of the other parks and green spaces in the region.
Other attractions at the October 28 SCHS general meeting.
Come early to see what you can see. Doors open at 6:30 pm. The meeting officially starts at 7:00 pm., but coming as early as 6:30 when the doors open allows you more time to to browse displays and other offerings.
From 6:30 to 7:00 and during refreshment time you can:
• Say ‘hello’ to St Louis County celebrity, Esley Hamilton
• Buy Esley Hamilton’s book, “St. Louis Parks”
• Sign up for the Meet-at-the-Site tour
• Buy a book by Elizabeth Terry. You may pay in cash, check or credit card for your convenience.
• See the displays, an archival display on travel and a display on the 1875 pictorial map of St Louis
• Buy a copy of the SCHS Hometown Heroes book, for yourself or for Christmas gifts
• Participate in a small silent auction for history-related books
The evening will start officially at 7:00 with
• “Pledging Allegiance to the Flag” and a non-sectarian invocation
• Continuing through a light and brief business meeting
• Refreshment time is the most important moment
• Finally, the main event of the evening, hear Esley Hamilton speak on a topic near to his heart, the history of St Louis County parks.
Elizabeth Terry, has written a new book with her two co-authors, “Ethnic St Louis” which she will be selling at our SCHS October meeting. You may remember that Elizabeth was at our July SCHS meeting selling her book, “Oysters to Angus: Three Generations of the St. Louis Faust Family.” She spoke at Friendship Village for the SCHS at Friendship Village speaker series in 2015 and will speak on her new book in 2016.
