Rome of the West

A Hike at Castlewood

2009-11-09T13:52:00.002-06:00

LAST FRIDAY was a glorious, unseasonably warm day. I took advantage of this day by hiking at Castlewood State Park.

Castlewood straddles the Meramec River in southern Saint Louis County.

The name ‘Castlewood’ derives from the tall bluffs on the north side of the river here, from where this photo was taken. The high cliff faces are reminiscent of medieval castles, and this area is heavily wooded.

A description of this area is found in the book Geologic Wonders and Curiosities of Missouri by Thomas R. Beveridge (2^nd edition revised by Jerry D. Vineyard):

125. THE PALISADES — ST. LOUIS COUNTY

St. Louis County, in north bluff of Meramec River between Jedburgh and Glencoe, 2 miles north of Times Beach, in northern part of sec. 19 and northern and eastern part of sec. 20, T. 44 N., R. 4 E., Manchester 7-½-minute Quadrangle.

Sheer bluffs of Ordovician limestones rising 200 feet above the floodplain of the Meramec form The Palisades. These bluffs are sheer in part because they are on the outside of a stream meander loop and thus have been vigorously eroded as a result of centrifugal force acting on the river current. Of the five bluff segments between Glencoe and Jedburgh, the third one east of Glencoe is the most pinnacled and the fourth one is the most impressive.

As is common along limestone and dolomite bluffs, cedars hug the bare rock and deciduous trees prevail on the gentler slopes. Fortunately, the bluff faces are sufficiently bare to be impressive in summer as well as winter.

The area is noted for its fall colors, a virtue created in part by the profusion of hard maples, and a fall drive along the Old State Road thence southeast to Jedburgh is most rewarding. The Palisades are best seen from the river or from the south floodplain. These bottoms were reached by going north from I-44 at the Williams Road interchange, east of the Meramec opposite Times Beach....

A boat motors downstream.

The Meramec has a great amount of recreational boat traffic in the summer. But for the nearly three hours when I was hiking here, this and a single kayak were the only boats on the river.

A view of a cliff face shows layers of limestone (or dolomite) and flint. In areas where these layers have eroded away, great residual piles of this resilient flint can be found. In the Crescent Hills, located just on the other side of the Meramec, a large number quarries of this flint are found: valued as a good source for making arrowheads and other stone tools, this flint was a common trade good in prehistoric times.

Girls enjoying the view. There were quite a number of people on this trail that day. Another photo taken at this spot is here.

A wasp gall found on a tree.

An unusual insect found along the way.

Remains of the Grand Staircase which led people from a railroad station up to the top of the bluffs. Castlewood was a major summer resort in the first half of the 20^th century. Although the grand hotels are now gone, some of the smaller former clubs are now private residences. The maps show a "Ridge Road": what was once a road leading to these resorts, presumably for automobiles, is now the rough hiking trail used today.

A view of the bluffs from below.

Many thanks to Teresa who showed me this trail.

Click here for a map of the area.

Pray for Departed Priests

2009-11-09T12:29:00.001-06:00

AS NOVEMBER IS the month of the Holy Souls, and since this year has been proclaimed the Year for Priests by Pope Benedict, here are some photos I've taken lately of priests' graves. Father John Zuhlsdorf, in a recent sermon, asks us in our charity to pray for departed priests. Requiescant in pace, et lux perpetua luceat eis.

At Calvary Cemetery in Saint Louis. Here is the grave of Joseph Cardinal Ritter, Archbishop of Saint Louis 1948-1967, found among graves of diocesan priests.

Rev. James J. O'Brien — A PRIEST FOREVER

This particular plot is found outside one of the entrances to the mausoleum.

Cemetery plot for Vincentians, members of the Congregation of the Mission, also at Calvary.

Priest graves at Saints Peter and Paul Cemetery, in Saint Louis.

May they rest in peace and may perpetual light shine upon them.

Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorium Coetibus

2009-11-09T09:45:00.003-06:00

THE HOLY SEE today promulgated the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorium Coetibus. The press release:

On October 20, 2009, Cardinal William Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, announced a new provision responding to the many requests that have been submitted to the Holy See from groups of Anglican clergy and faithful in different parts of the world who wish to enter into full visible communion with the Catholic Church.

The Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus which is published today introduces a canonical structure that provides for such corporate reunion by establishing Personal Ordinariates, which will allow the above mentioned groups to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of the distinctive Anglican spiritual and liturgical patrimony. At the same time, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is publishing a set of Complementary Norms which will guide the implementation of this provision.

This Apostolic Constitution opens a new avenue for the promotion of Christian unity while, at the same time, granting legitimate diversity in the expression of our common faith. It represents not an initiative on the part of the Holy See, but a generous response from the Holy Father to the legitimate aspirations of these Anglican groups. The provision of this new structure is consistent with the commitment to ecumenical dialogue, which continues to be a priority for the Catholic Church.

The possibility envisioned by the Apostolic Constitution for some married clergy within the Personal Ordinariates does not signify any change in the Church’s discipline of clerical celibacy. According to the Second Vatican Council, priestly celibacy is a sign and a stimulus for pastoral charity and radiantly proclaims the reign of God (Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1579).

Link to the document.

An Apostolic Constitution is the highest rank of Papal decrees. This constitution will create the equivalent of Catholic dioceses for Anglicans; they will be able to operate their own seminaries and religious orders, and already-married clergy, with specific approval, can become Catholic priests under an existing pastoral provision.

The various Anglican groups find their origin with King Henry VIII of England who split from the Catholic Church because she would not grant him an annulment from his lawful wife, who did not bear him a male heir to this throne. Not merely a schism, his new church soon fell into heresy, incorporating many of the new protesting ideas. The church of England was unable to remain united, first and foremost on theology and doctrine; any unity found in the Anglican Communion is tenuous at best.

Much of modern Anglicanism (also called Episcopalianism in the United States, due to events that occurred in the year 1776), has the nature of a social construct made specifically to provide mythic overtones to otherwise atheistic political doctrines, and so has often become a largely human instrument to enforce or change power relationships.

But many Anglicans want to hold true to the ancient Catholic Faith of the Apostles which was once the Faith of England; while some “swam the Tiber” and joined the Catholic Church, they have done so by leaving behind their friends, families, churches, communities, and modes of worship. But Pope Benedict XVI, as Pontiff (a title meaning bridge-builder), is figuratively building a bridge across the Tiber so entire Anglican communities can come into the Church as a whole. This is a generous response.

Contemporary Catholic worship leaves a lot to be desired. The current translation of the Latin Missal for much of the English-speaking world is a flat, awkward, unpoetical, and often inaccurate translation done in American English, which shows little love for the language and its nuances. Liturgical music nowadays is being driven by music publishers, who promote novelty for its own sake and who charge money for the right to perform their music during the Mass.

On the contrary, many versions of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer show a great command of the English language and a love for it in service of the Gospel; these no doubt can be adapted for Catholic worship. Likewise, the Anglicans' long experience with the use of the vernacular in liturgy leaves us a great body of works that are free of royalty payments to publishers.

Obviously we must avoid the problem that is often found in the Anglican ‘broad-church’: paid, unbelieving musicians masterfully perform music to an audience of unbelieving church-goers who see worship service as a largely aesthetic experience. But we must also avoid the error of those who have a purely intellectual belief, and who tend towards iconoclasm and show disregard for the lower, aesthetic parts of our souls.

So the new Anglican converts both will find a home in the unity of the Church, and they will bring with them superior forms of worship, which will enrich the Church.

2009-11-06T23:28:00.001-06:00

Taken today, at Castlewood State Park. More photos are here.

New Catholic High School to Open in Glen Carbon

2009-11-06T11:07:00.003-06:00

A CORRESPONDENT sent me information on the new Father McGivney Catholic High School, opening in Fall of 2011, in the Saint Louis suburban village of Glen Carbon, Illinois. The website is: http://www.frmcgivneyhs.com.

It is named after the Venerable Michael J. McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus.

Catholic Woman Needs A Man...

2009-11-06T07:43:00.004-06:00

CAROLINA CANONBALL of The Crescat is advertising for a good man, preferably Catholic, in the Charlotte, North Carolina area: details here. She is cute, somewhat crazy, and otherwise terrific, but is an artistic soul living in the desert of Baptists and Nascar.

Potter's Field

2009-11-05T12:06:00.002-06:00

Paupers' graves, at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic cemetery, in Saint Louis, Missouri.

Here is the monument that is seen at the far end of the field seen in the first photo. On the other side, it reads:

J.M.J.
IN MEMORY OF THE
OLD PEOPLE
WHO DIED IN THE HOME
OF THE LITTLE SISTERS
OF THE POOR
R.I.P.

Vocations Poster for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

2009-11-05T10:12:00.002-06:00

“Priesthood is the love of the Heart of Jesus.”

— Saint John Vianney

Year for Priests

2009 — 2010

PLEASE PRAY FOR YOUR SEMINARIANS

ARCHDIOCESE OF SAINT PAUL & MINNEAPOLIS OFFICE OF VOCATIONS

651-962-6890 WWW.10000VOCATIONS.ORG

Sacred Heart of Jesus, mosaic, Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri. Photo by Mark Scott Abeln

That is a lot of seminarians! The restoration continues.

Click here for my original photo of the mosaic. The Shrine of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is in the west transept of the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis; it was commissioned by Archbishop Raymond Burke and was designed by Duncan Stroik. The mosaic comes from the Vatican Mosaic Studio.

Photos of Saint Bridget of Kildare Church, in Pacific, Missouri

2009-11-04T12:18:00.000-06:00

HERE ARE PHOTOS of Saint Bridget's Church, in Pacific, Missouri, taken on the occasion of the parish's Fall Festival on All Saints Day. Pacific straddles Franklin County to the west, and Saint Louis County to the east, and is about 36 highway miles west-by-southwest of downtown Saint Louis.

The parish dates from 1841, and the church from 1961; the church building is in the Modern style typical of that era.

The first St. Bridget's church was a log structure built north of town, which according to a history was 24 by 40 feet in size, and eventually collapsed after a period of disuse. A brick church was built in Pacific starting in either 1857 or 1859; during the Civil War, the Union Army attempted to demolish the unfinished building for use in making fortifications.

The Irish settled this region in significant numbers in the 1840s. Cholera outbreaks sometimes prevented recent immigrants from settling in the cities, and Irish immigrants were particularly attacked by the Nativists and Know-Nothings. A history of the Irish in this area is found here.

Pacific was originally named Franklin, after Founding Father Benjamin Franklin. As there was already a post office in Missouri named Franklin, the name had to be changed. The current name Pacific comes from the Pacific Railroad, which reached this region from Saint Louis in 1853. Many Irish worked on the construction of this railroad, and for the next century, the rails and the Irish were dominant in the history of this town.

A view into the narthex of the church, which was locked at the time I took these photos.

The parish's patroness is Saint Bridget (or Brigid) of Kildare (a.d. 451 or 452 - February 1, 525). According to the Catholic Encyclopedia:

Refusing many good offers of marriage, she became a nun and received the veil from St. Macaille. With seven other virgins she settled for a time at the foot of Croghan Hill, but removed thence to Druin Criadh, in the plains of Magh Life, where under a large oak tree she erected her subsequently famous Convent of Cill-Dara, that is, "the church of the oak" (now Kildare), in the present county of that name.

A view of the sandstone bluffs across the street from church's school.

All Souls Mass

2009-11-02T23:31:00.003-06:00

Catafalque, after the All Souls Mass at Saint Francis de Sales Oratory.

Dr. Peter Kreeft — “Support a Catholic Speaker Month”

2009-11-02T13:32:00.003-06:00

I MUST ADMIT that I find it hard not to plagiarize Dr. Peter Kreeft. But I don't feel so bad, because Dr. Kreeft said (in one of his audio lectures) that he has a difficult time not plagiarizing C. S. Lewis.

Fallible Blogma has a project called Support a Catholic Speaker Month, which hopes to introduce to a larger audience the 100 most popular Catholic speakers in the English language. I chose to feature Dr. Kreeft, whose writings and audio are a great influence on me.

Dr. Kreeft is professor of philosophy at Boston College and King's College in New York City. He is a prolific author with more than 50 published books, including notably the Handbook of Catholic Apologetics. Kreeft is also a frequent lecturer: he has six speaking engagements in the month of November alone.

Kreeft traces his philosophical tradition from the ancient Greek Socrates, through Aquinas, to contemporary realist philosophers. Kreeft makes the distinction between the ancient and modern philosophical views like this: a realist philosopher looks at a tree and thinks about the tree itself, while the modern philosopher thinks about himself looking at the tree. Kreeft therefore is a genial critic of such contemporary madness as moral relativism and postmodernism. Kreeft is a master of the Socratic method, and many of his books feature a fictional Socrates in a similar vein, such as Socrates Meets Kant.

Kreeft is a Catholic, who converted from Calvinism; his conversion, like mine, was partially based on the vast intellectual and artistic patrimony of the Faith. He remains a committed ecumenist; he notes that the moral codes of the major world religions are remarkably similar, and so a broad ecumenical movement can combat our current culture of death.

I've enjoyed his audio recordings very much over the past few years: you can listen to some here.

Requiescant in pace

2009-11-02T08:38:00.002-06:00

MAY THEY REST in peace.

Resurrection Cemetery, in Shrewsbury, Missouri.

Saints Peter and Paul Cemetery, in Saint Louis.

All Souls Day

2009-11-02T07:32:00.004-06:00

The ceiling of All Souls Chapel, at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis. This chapel is built over the tombs of the Archbishops of the Archdiocese of Saint Louis.

The galeri, or red hats of Cardinals, are suspended from the ceiling until they dissolve into dust. The earthly power of the Princes of the Church soon becomes nothing.

The patterns shown on this ceiling are four-fold in symmetry. The number four is an ancient symbol of things earthly. At the top of the photo can be seen winged hourglasses: time flies! But at the bottom, which is above the altar, we are reminded of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Our Savior.

Upon the ceiling is written:

Requiescant in pace
— May they rest in peace
Lux perpetua luceat eis
— Let perpetual light shine upon them
Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine
— Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord
Signum futurae gloriae
— Sign of future glory

We have a special privilege to pray for those who have died. From the Enchiridion of Indulgences:

An indulgence, applicable only to the Souls in Purgatory, is granted to the faithful, who devoutly visit a cemetery and pray, even if only mentally, for the departed.

The indulgence is plenary each day from the 1st to the 8th of November; on other days of the year it is partial.

2009-10-31T17:42:00.001-05:00

2009-10-31T10:31:00.001-05:00

“Public Enemy Number One”

2009-10-31T08:14:00.004-05:00

MORAL RELATIVISM is the ideology that claims that there are no objective moral truths, but rather that the rightness or wrongness of moral choice is purely relative to cultural or personal preferences. We are told that this view is good because it is tolerant: calling people immoral is bigoted and harmful to self-esteem. Moral relativists state that we ought not impose our moral views on others, and so keep our own moral views private.

But the German philosopher Dietrich von Hildebrand (1889-1977) pointed out that a government of moral relativists is necessarily totalitarian, and will impose its moral views on others with force. His early opposition to the National Socialists made this scholar “public enemy number one” of that totalitarian German regime.

Yesterday I posted a short article on von Hildebrand; and after this I heard an interview of Dietrich's wife Alice on EWTN. (This interview is online, although I can't directly link to it, you can search for it here. Look for the date 10/28/2009). Alice is involved with the Dietrich von Hildebrand Legacy Project, which is seeking scholars willing to translate von Hildebrand's works from German into English.

“Debating Beauty: Jacques Maritain and Dietrich von Hildebrand”

2009-10-30T15:12:00.004-05:00

JACQUES MARITAIN'S BOOK Art and Scholasticism sometime seems to be the last word in the Catholic philosophy of art, and by “last” I mean that it often is quoted as the most recent authoritative book on the subject (although of course, it is not). The author's final edition of the book came out in 1935. Although it is an excellent book, it eventually comes out in favor of the modernistic side of the arts, which subsequent experience has proven disastrously wrong.

Philosopher Alice von Hildebrand discusses the artistic debate in the article Debating Beauty: Jacques Maritain and Dietrich von Hildebrand. She asks:

Is aesthetic appreciation a question of taste, as one can like or dislike beer? Tastes cannot be debated, and such debates would be totally meaningless.

Dietrich is Alice's late husband, a Catholic convert, philosopher, and one of the first public intellectuals who denounced National Socialism in Germany in the early 1930s. Pope Benedict said of him: “When the intellectual history of the Catholic Church in the twentieth century is written, the name of Dietrich von Hildebrand will be most prominent among the figures of our time.” She continues:

Whereas for Maritain, sense experiences are purely human, both Newman and von Hildebrand claim that though man's senses are necessarily involved, the message they communicate radically transcends the world of pure matter. It transmits a message coming from above, some mysterious echo of "the eternal hills" that sharpen our longing for Beauty itself -- that is, God.

Art matters, and it is not the exclusive property of our “social conditioners” in the media, government, and education, which we must passively receive. Indeed, according to Catholic philosophy, everything made by the hands of man is art, and all art is bound towards judgement.

On the Theme of Hallowe'en

2009-10-30T13:04:00.004-05:00

ON ALL SAINTS DAY, we joyously celebrate all those souls in Heaven, our friends and patrons, while on All Souls Day we pray for those departed souls who have yet to make it there, and remain in a state of purgation. But the evening before All Saints Day — or All Hallows Day — is All Hallows Eve, or Hallowe'en, which is a popular culture depiction of damned souls in Hell, as well as being a popular ‘day of the dead’. Hallowe'en, originally a Catholic popular custom, has unfortunately been largely taken over by secular and occult ideas. It's time to take it back.

G. Thomas Fitzpatrick at Recta Ratio has a tradition of fine Hallowe'en postings, which can be seen here.
Hilary Jane Margaret White discusses views of the supernatural and cosmology seen in recent popular fiction here. Oddly enough, Mormon cosmology is often depicted in popular fiction, a worldview greatly different from orthodox cosmology.
Fr. John Zuhlsdorf comments on an article on an exorcist here. There are many interesting comments to this article, and Fr. Z offers us some warnings regarding this matter.
Msgr. Charles Pope of the Archdiocese of Washington offers some advice on the celebration of Hallowe'en here.

The Saint Louis University Exorcism of 1949

2009-10-30T11:49:00.004-05:00

THE TERRIFYING POSSIBILITY of demonic possession is a matter of Catholic Faith. Our Lord Jesus cast out demons, and His apostles cast out demons in Jesus' name. The writings of the Desert Fathers are filled with anecdotes of the actions of demons, and how the life of a holy monk is one of spiritual warfare. The need for exorcism is seen throughout the liturgical life of the Church, with the various blessings of objects and Baptism: there was also a Minor Order of Exorcist.

But as it happens, actual demonic possession is very rare. The contemporary church greatly values the work of scientific psychology, and many exorcists have training in psychiatry. These phenomena are indeed psychological, but what is the psyche, and what is the nature of reality in which our psyches inhabit? According to exorcists, while demonic possession is very rare, demonic obsession is distressingly common, and is becoming more frequent. Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle!

The lurid Hollywood film The Exorcist was very popular when I was attending Lutheran Sunday school, and the students questioned the pastor about that. He told us that we had to “go to the Catholics” for exorcism. As it happens, The Exorcist was very loosely based on events that happened in Saint Louis in 1949, and in that case, the Lutherans indeed referred this matter to the Catholics.

Yesterday, I picked up a flyer at Saint Louis University's Saint Francis Xavier church:

Join us

Friday, October 30, 2009

As we look back 60 years at the famed

EXORCISM (1949)

...another part of our history and

Our 125^th Anniversary

A 45-minute film documentary

will delve into the mysteries and myths

surrounding this notorious event.

Pertinent background and personal

accounts from known Jesuits offer

clarification

Doors open at 6:30 — showing at 7:00

I assume this screening is in the hall beneath the church. As I haven't seen the video, I don't know its content. However, the subject of demonology ought not be taken lightly, and we should in general be not curious of such matters; in fact, exceptional holiness is needed for those involved to avoid harm.

My Business Card

2009-10-29T13:12:00.003-05:00

With the great success of the book Catholic St. Louis: A Pictorial History, I get many requests for photography. So, now I'm making it official.

Please send me an email with your requirements, and I'll get back to you with a quote.

I can also teach digital photography and Photoshop according to my methods.

As weddings require many special considerations, I will refer the main photography to another professional who specializes in weddings, but I will attend as an auxiliary photographer.

Fall Color

2009-10-28T13:34:00.001-05:00

Fall colors in the Soulard neighborhood of Saint Louis. Photo taken yesterday.

REMINDER - Paul, Duke of Oldenburg, at the Oratory

2009-10-28T13:24:00.000-05:00

PRESS RELEASE

INSTITUTE OF CHRIST THE KING SOVEREIGN PRIEST

St. Francis de Sales Oratory

Contact: Canon Michael K. Wiener, Rector

(St. Louis, MO, October 2008) – St. Francis de Sales Oratory is pleased to announce the visit of His Highness, Paul, Duke of Oldenburg, to the Oratory on Saturday, October 31, 2009. An inspiring speaker on various topics related to the Faith, His Highness will give a talk on “The Importance of Tradition” at 2:00 p.m. in the Oratory hall. A reception in the hall follows the talk.

A descendant of Queen Victoria and Czar Alexander II, Paul, Duke of Oldenburg, is a long-time friend and supporter of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. In his native Germany, he is involved in a variety of political and social activities to promote the cause of family values in society. The Duke is married, and father to four young children.

Born in 1969 of one of the oldest Protestant royal lineages, His Highness converted to the Catholic Faith in 1999, and was received into the Church in Rome that year. It was the beauty of the traditional form of the Latin Mass that first brought him to explore the Catholic Church. Msgr. Schmitz, while still living in his native Germany, introduced the nobleman to this liturgy and instructed him along the way that eventually led him to enter the Catholic Church.

For more information, please contact:

St. Francis de Sales Oratory

2653 Ohio Avenue

Saint Louis, Missouri, 63118

Telephone 314-771-3100

Email sfds@institute-christ-king.org

Photos of the Chatillon-DeMenil Mansion

2009-10-28T13:03:00.000-05:00

ONE OF THE fine old mansions in Saint Louis is now a museum. The Chatillon-DeMenil Mansion was originally built in 1848, and was long in the possession of one family. Interest in this house was renewed in the early 1960s when it was going to be destroyed by the construction of a cloverleaf for what is now known as Interstate 55. Some of the furnishing here is original to the house.

Having a Halloween decorating theme here would both be both ahistorical and tacky. So rather the home is decorated for mourning, which has an appropriate correspondence with Halloween — the eve of All Saints Day — and the month of November, dedicated to the Holy Souls.

This was once a Catholic household. Although specific mourning customs portrayed here derive from the example of Queen Victoria after the death of her husband Prince Albert, certainly many are much older. Black vestments for funerals have long been a part of the Latin Catholic liturgy. The covering of mirrors as seen here is still a part of Jewish mourning custom; covering of images is also found in the Latin church during the end of Lent, a time of mourning for our own sins.

I really hadn't planned on taking photos of this house, so these are basically crude snapshots, which suffer from digital camera noise, overexposed highlights, and poor shadow detail. I also didn't take a photo of the exterior.

A plate, specifically made for times of mourning.

Plate depicting a cemetery visit.

From a history of the house:

The Mansion was built in two sections by families with very different lifestyles. Henri Chatillon built the first section, a four-room brick farmhouse, in 1848. He was a guide and hunter for the American Fur Company of St. Louis in the 1840's before settling permanently in the area with his second wife, Odile Delor Lux. Chatillon served as a guide for Francis Parkman, Jr. in 1846. Parkman wrote about their trip in his book "The Oregon Trail."

Continuing the history:

Chatillon sold the "farmhouse" in 1856 to Dr. Nicolas N. DeMenil, a well known physician and part owner of the first chain of drug stores in St. Louis. DeMenil was a wealthy Frenchman. He came to St. Louis in 1834 and married Emilie Sophie Chouteau, who was a descendant of St. Louis' founding family. The DeMenils originally used the home as a summer retreat. In 1861, the DeMenils hired English architect Henry Pitcher to add on the extra rooms and turn the farmhouse into a Greek Revival Mansion. At that time they moved into the home permanently. The addition was completed in 1863.

This was at the time a wealthy German neighborhood. This class generally believed in industrialization and a strong central government, and their influence greatly shaped the Republic after the War Between the States.

Although the maps call this locale the Marine Villa district, most people refer to it as the Lemp neighborhood. The house sits between the Anheuser-Busch brewery and the former Lemp brewery. In the days before artificial refrigeration, this area was good for brewing because of the cool caves that are found in this area. The style of beer brewed here is called Lager, after the German word for ‘storehouse’, which requires a chilly environment for fermentation and aging.

The historic Lemp Mansion is next door, and it is also open for dining and tours. However, many of the Lemp family unfortunately had unhappy lives and deaths compared to their neighbors.

More history:

Three generations of the DeMenil family occupied the home until 1929. From that year until 1945 the Mansion was maintained by caretakers. Lee Hess bought the property in 1945 to develop a tourist attraction based upon the natural system of caves that lie beneath the area. The "Cherokee Caves" were quite popular but the house itself suffered. When Interstate 55 was being planned in the early 1960's the house was going to be torn down. The Landmarks Association decided to buy the land and home from the State of Missouri Highway Commission. They wanted to save the Mansion, because it is one of the only remaining examples of Greek Revival architecture in St. Louis. With a $40,000 gift from Union Electric they bought the house and land. Restoration of the Mansion began in the summer of 1964. Formal dedication of the restored Mansion took place in May 1965. Then the Chatillon-DeMenil Foundation took control of the Mansion.

Structurally, the Mansion today is as the DeMenil family left it in 1929. All the ceiling medallions, marble mantelpieces, front hall parquet foor, and front hall chandelier are original to the house. Most of the furniture is dated between 1830 and 1880, with some original DeMenil pieces. Wallpapers, curtains, and carpets throughout the house are reproductions of original designs.

The bedroom of the lady of the house.

Although the owners of the house were wealthy, they did not own slaves. The sharply divided public opinion in the run-up to the American Civil War was reflected within this household. Mrs. DeMenil, descended from the founders of Saint Louis, was in favor of the Southern cause like many of the local French. Her husband, Dr. DeMenil, like many of the newly-immigrated Germans here, had Northern sympathies.

Holy water font next to the bed.

A vanity table.

This building is called a mansion, but it is not a particularly large home; it does have a higher level of architectural detail compared to the spacious working-class structures built in the nearby Soulard neighborhood. All these buildings share a feature that once was nearly universal in construction: high ceilings, which are quite helpful in the summer heat. The rooms here are numerous but fairly small.

The bedroom of the gentleman of the house. Separate bedrooms for married couples were desirable if they could be afforded. Privacy was always valued. Most particularly, there were no bathrooms, but rather chamber pots were in each bedroom.

Antique dolls.

This doll had hair taken from the little girl who owned it.

The ancient custom of keeping relics of loved ones was still quite strong in that period: soldiers who went off to war would leave behind a lock of hair.

I visited the house on the occasion of the formal dedication of this historical marker by the Daughters of the American Revolution, which featured a Marine honor guard, Pledge of Allegiance, a prayer, and singing of the National Anthem.

Address:
3352 DeMenil Place
St. Louis, MO 63118

2009-10-26T22:56:00.000-05:00

Fall Color

2009-10-26T14:01:00.004-05:00

I took these photos three days ago, at about the peak of our fall color. Unfortunately, we haven't had blue skies for a while, so I was only able to get these photos taken during a dark overcast day while it was drizzling.

The character of Autumn color varies from year to year. Our colors were very good this year, although there seems to be less red tree color than normal.

But these bushes are always reliably red.