History

Kimmswick, MO.

founded 1859

    In the vicinity of what is now known as Kimmswick, October 11th, 1700 almost 300 years ago, a Catholic priest, Father James Gravier and Party, during a voyage down the Mississippi River, killed a buffalo on the west side of the river, below the mouth of the Meramec which he spelled Miaramiqoua.  There is very little doubt that the animal was killed at or near present day Kimmswick.  This is the first authentic record of white men in Jefferson County.  Father Gravier also reported that there were rich lead mines twelve or thirteen leagues (32 to 35 miles) south of the mouth of the Meramec.  Father Gravier also state the banks to the river were lined with buffalo, bear and elk.  There is very little doubt that French hunters and trappers traveled the county at about this time.

    Kimmswick was also known for the salt works operated by Thomas Jones.  Jones was probably the first settler of what is now the Kimmswick area.  Jones opened his salt works in 1779 and was forced to flee for his life from roving bands of Indians in 1780, during the attack on St. Louis, May 26th, 1780, by the British and Indians.  This was the only battle of the Revolutionary War west of the Mississippi River.

    So far as we are able to learn, John Hildebrand was the first white settler in Jefferson County.  In 1774, he built a cabin and opened a clearing on the Meramec, under a Spanish Land Grant, known at the time as the Meramec Settlement.  It may be of interest to know that Jefferson County was settled as early as Kentucky.  The Hildebrand Settlement was in the same year as the first settlement in Kentucky, Harrodsburg, in 1774.

    In 1776, King Charles III of Spain, gave an order to open and overland highway from St. Louis to Ste. Genevieve.  In the same year a trail was opened and called the "King's Trace" from Ste. Genevieve to St. Louis by way of a ferry (about one mile west of the mouth of the Meramec) running near present day Kimmswick.  Spanish control of this area was brief, from 1762 to 1801, Napoleon Bonaparte acquired the area from Spain and in two years, sold the French lands west of the Mississippi to the United States during the presidency of Thomas Jefferson.

    An early settler of Kimmswick was Captain George Washington Waters from Massachusetts.  Waters was appointed Jefferson County Surveyor, and because of his position, he was able to purchase a large portion of the land grant from the LaBarge grant on the courthouse steps for $20.00.  It was from Waters that Mr. Kimm purchased land on October 4th, 1850.  Kimmswick was founded by Theodore Kimm in 1859.  Theodore Kim was a native of Brunswick Germany.  He named the town after himself, combining Kimm and the German word Wick, which means town or village into the town's name Kimmswick.  Mr. Kimm, a successful dry goods merchant in St. Louis, moved to Jefferson County after he purchased the land in 1850.  It is not clear why Mr. Kimm left St. Louis.

    The St. Louis/Iron Mountain, Southern Railroad came through Kimmswick in 1858 and with the railroad came settlers, farmers and tradesmen.  As the town grew, it flourished, with the addition of an iron forge, grist mill, limestone quarries, brewery and green houses which shipped fresh flowers to St. Louis.

    Kimmswick was laid out in the grid pattern of blocks, subdivided by lots and alleyways as in St. Louis.  By 1876, Kimmswick was the second largest town in Jefferson County.  In the boundary of the town were several hotels, saloons, mercantile stores, a lumber yard, slaughter house, butcher shops, a bootery, jewelry store, blacksmith and three schools, one for whites, one for blacks and St. Joseph Catholic School, which remained in Kimmswick until 1999.

    Mr. Kimm served as Post Master for the Post Office which opened in 1858.  Mail arrived five times a day, four trains going North, five trains going South stopped each day.  Mr. Kimm retired at the age of 61, in 1872.  Mr. Kimm dedicated to the town, an area at the corner of Third and Market Streets, to be used as a Public marketplace.  He also set aside a portion of a block for a public park to be known as Jefferson Square.  Also, one acre on the western edge of the town was set aside to used as a City Cemetery.

    After Mr. Kimm retired, he and Mrs. Kimm traveled to Europe, returning to St. Louis for visits.  Mrs. Kimm passed away in St. Louis in 1876 and was buried in Jefferson Square Park beside their only child, Ernest Peltzer Kimm who died at the age of 9 in 1853.  Mr. Kimm continued his travels, making about 29 crossings of the Atlantic Ocean.  Mr. Kimm passed away in Switzerland February 5th, 1886.

    The Seventh Annual Reunion of the Old Settlers of Jefferson County was held in Kimmswick, on September 10th, 1895.  During the reunion, a committee was formed (John T. McMullin, Ed Walters, W.F. Holt) to place memorials in Jefferson County to mark historical places.

    Montesano Park, a large amusement park owned by the Columbia Excursion Company was located on the north side of town.  The park featured a hotel, restaurant, dance pavilion, a boating lake, merry-go-round, roller coaster, pony track, bowling alleys, shooting gallery and tent show.  Many people came to partake of mineral waters from the 14 springs within the park.  The water was bottled and ship as far as New York.  The park attracted thousands of visitors who arrived by Steamboats and Trains (a 21 mile ride from St. Louis).  The park closed in 1918.                           

    A resident of Kimmswick, one John O'Heim, ran a beer garden under the name of "Kimo-Garden", that also contained a mineral spring.  Bottled under the name of "Uncle John's Health Water", was shipped throughout the area.

    Records show that several showboats came to town many times through the years:  The Cotton Blossom, Greater New York, French's New Sensation, Water Queen, J & S Steamboat, Providence Steamboat and R. Marklin's Golden Rod came frequently.  The last to dock in Kimmswick was the Hollywood Showboat on May 3rd, 1933.

    City Hall was built in 1903.  Kimmswick had it's own volunteer  fire department until March 31st, 1940, and the fire truck was sold on September 29th, 1941 for $100.00.

    Eight new gaslights for the streets were installed on August 10th, 1910, for $6.00 each.  Two brothers, Mike and Alois Zeigler were in to light them each evening.  It wasn't until January 3rd, 1921 that electric street lights were installed.

    On August 27th, 1917 Kimmswick got its first speed limit on Automobiles, 8 miles per hour and fines not less than $25.00 and not more than $100.00.  On September 9th, 1917 a reward was offered for information on the person who tore down the speed signs.  The last hitching posts were removed from the city streets on November 4th, 1927.

    During the spring and summer, ball games were the favorite sport and Kimmswick's team was very active, playing all the teams from surrounding towns.

    As the automobile became the main way of getting around and the new highways were built which passed the town by, life and activities slowed down.  Businesses moved to the new highways and the town was almost forgotten.

    Many old buildings were torn down, such as National Hotel, the Bank and the Woodsman Hall.  It was the loss of these historic buildings that caused Lucianna Gladney Ross to start the restoration of the town.  In the 1970's, the restoration began with several of the old homes being renovated.  The renovation project can be seen on the blocks bounded by 2nd, Elm, 3rd,and Oak.  Old log buildings were moved here from other sites so that they could be preserved.

    Kimmswick is once again a living, active community with merchants, antique shops, craft shops, restaurants, deli's and bed and breakfast.

    Kimmswick has four festivals; Strawberry Festival held in June; Civil War Re-enactment held in August; Apple Butter Festival held in October; Candle Light Walk held in December.

    We hope you have enjoyed your visit and will come back soon.

Historical Houses

    The Kimmswick Visitor's Center (Maul House) on Market street was the home of the black school teacher in town.  It was built of Kimmswick bricks in 1872.  It was originally two stories and they raised 13 children there.

    The Wenom-Drake (1877) located at 4th and Beckett was built by John Wenom for his family consisting of himself, his wife and seven children.  Mr. Wenom came to this country from Alsace France in 1852 at the age of 15.  He and his parents first settled on a farm near Kimmswick.  In 1866, he moved into town where he was first a butcher, then a dealer and an insurance agent.  The Fred Drake family bought the house from the Wenom heirs in 1918.  For many years, the Drake's served chicken dinners and housed overnight guests.  After the Drake's sold the house to a succession of owners and tenants lived in it until 1973.  That home was restored in 1973.  The home is now a bed and breakfast owned and operated by Ken and Abbey Peck.

    Ruess-Terry House (1866) Market street is one of the oldest homes still standing in town.  The property was on of Mr.Kimm's first sales after he founded the town.  The lot was sold to Jacob Burchart for $180.00 in 1860.  After construction, the house was owned by Peter Bruhn, a businessman and the first Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Kimmswick.  Mr. Bruhn came to this country from Heide Holstein, Germany at the age of 20.  The home was sold many times until it was bought by Phillip Reuss in 1953 who lived in it until 1970.  the house itself is a two story brick with a wood addition at the back, from a later period.  The bricks handmade and very soft were produced in Kimmswick.  A miscalculation by the builders is to be seen in the upstairs bedroom.  The rod that runs through the house, bolted on the outside to brace the walls, is above the floor instead of being concealed between the flooring and the ceiling below.

    The Yellow House (1872) Market street was built by Jacob Fink on property purchase from Mr. Kimm in 1868.  In 1867, John J. Wagner and wife bought the property and three years later in 1880 built the brick home next door.  The Wagner's rented the smaller Yellow House and lived in their new brick home.  Mr. Wagner's wagon shop and blacksmith shop were located behind the house.  The two story house was originally "L" shaped.  At a later date, the "L" was filled in to form a one story room, used for a kitchen.  The home was restored in 1970.

    Burgess-How House (1840) Elm and 3rd street is a historical log house, the home of Edward S. How.  The How family of Mapaville, Missouri lived in the home from 1895 until the farm was sold in 1972.  The log cabin was offered to Kimmswick.  The cabin was taken down and the logs numbered, moved to the present site and rebuilt on a new foundation.  The stones of the fireplace were handled in the same manner.  The chinking (packing material) that was between the logs of the cabin was replaced just as it was found.  Cuts of wood angled in the openings between the logs were surrounded by mortar.

    The Old House (1770) 2nd and Elm streets is the largest and most historical log building to be relocated to Kimmswick.  It stood on Highway 61-67, in the part of Arnold which was known as Beck, Missouri.  The first two rooms, one on each end with a roof over a space between the two rooms, known as a dog trot, are said to date from Revolutionary times.  A second story and a back two story log wing were added in 1831.  The Old House was, throughout the years, used as an overnight stop for travelers and later as a tavern.  It is believed that U.S General Grant spent time at the Old House when he was stationed at Jefferson Barracks.  The building was taken down in two weeks in the spring of 1973, however, the construction stretched over five years due to work on other buildings.

    Barbagallo House (1850) Oak and 2nd street was the third log building to be moved to Kimmswick.  In the spring of 1975, the building, then standing on Green Park Road in St. Louis County was about to be torn down to make room for industrial use.  The building was offered by the Barbagallo family to Kimmswick.  The building was taken down, and the logs numbered.  The work took no more than two months.  By June 1975, it was rebuilt on a new foundation and restored to its earlier appearance.  The Barbagallo House is in the Missouri-French style and is also a dog trot cabin.

    Kimmswick City Hall (1903) 3rd and Elm.  The City Hall was completed on July 15th, 1903 after five bonds of $100.00 each were issued to build the building and a jail.  The foundation and the one story frame building 18' x 32' was built for the cost of $624.80 which included guttering, painting, all labor and materials.  One large table, one dozen chairs, one oil lamp, one gallon of oil and screening for the windows with a total cost of $11.75.  City business has been held in the building since 1903 and the large table is still used by the City Council.  City Hall was wired for electric lights on November 10, 1919 for $12.00.  The two jail cells, constructed of white oak were not completed until March 1st, 1909 for $98.35.  They are now used for storage and one has been converted into a restroom.  Throughout the years, City Hall has been used for meetings, a police station, court proceedings and still serves these needs today.

    The Post Office (1913) Front street, has been in continuous operation since the day it opened on April 22, 1858.  Numerous buildings in town have been used since its establishment, however, the Post Office returned to this building in 1974.  Before 1858, mail was delivered to Miles Down, the Mississippi River to Sulphur Springs Landing and used that post mark.  Theodore Kimm was appointed Kimmswick's first Postmaster in 1858.  Today, the Post Office does daily business from the residences and business in town.  Letters are still canceled by hand.

    Windsor Harbor Bridge (1874-75) crosses Rock Creek just south of Kimmswick near the place where the creek joins the Mississippi.  The bridge originally crossed the River des Peres from Lemay Ferry Road to Alabama Avenue.  In 1928, the bridge was replaced by a viaduct and the old bridge was dismantled, and donated to Jefferson County and re-erected in 1930 where it still stands.  The single span, wrought iron bridge, was constructed by the Keystone Bridge Company, is on of the oldest metal bridges in the state.  Elaborate pinnings were used to connect the many trusses and represent a transition period in bridge building.  Today, the bridge is closed for vehicular traffic, open only to pedestrians and bicycles.

More on Kimmswick History can be found in the Kimmswick Historical Society Museum located at 3rd and Vine street.