The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-09-15
Quaint Old St. Louis
Directory Describes the
City as 1t Was
Half a Century Ago.

WRITTEN FOR THE SUNDAY REPUBLIC.
In a secondhand bookstore the other day
was found 4 St. Louis Business Directory
of the year 1853. There was much of inter.
est in the little volume concerning the st
Louis of half a century ago.
John How was Mayor of the city at that
time. The City Hall was located at Main
INT Chestnut streets. The town was di.
; vided into six wards. To-day there are
l twenty-eight.
h directory gives a complete list of the
officers of the city government, including
/ the Board Of Aldermen Board Of Dele.
gates and officials and clerks of the vari.
Gus departments. The post office was in
charge Of Archibald Gamble. who. as Post.
/ master. had eighteen assistants, thirteen OF
1 whom We're clerks.
1 That ST. Louis was something of a liter
t: airy center is shown by the number of news.
/ papers and periodicals published. There
! were nine dailies. five of which were in
English and four in German. The English
papers were: The Missouri Republican,
founded in 1865, now The st. Louis Repub-
( lie; the Intelligencer. the Democrat. Morn
j ing Herald and Evening News.
Nine religious papers were issued from
the press of the city. one of which was de-
voted to the temperance cause. and was
] called the Temperance Battery. The Bap-
I fists published a weekly under the name
Z OF the Western Waterman, a title which
\ now belongs to one of the influential Cath
1 Ole papers published in this city. the Cath
! ole paper OF that day being called the
Shepherd of the Valley. For the Presby-
] terians there was The Casket, which might
well serve as the name OF the undertakers'
trade journal. This was devoted to sacred
and polite literature"
Half a century ago there were eleven
public schools. in charge of ffty-seven
teachers, whose names are given in this
book. The education OF the children OF to-
day is conducted in seventy-seven schools
for whites and thirteen for negroes. The
school buildings were variously situated be-
tween Fourth and Ninth streets and from
Ann avenue on the south to Webster School.
on Clinton street. on the north. The only
school building outside Of this district was
the Eliot, at Pine and Fifteenth.
OF the q Protestant and 10 Catholic
churches the most, II not all, have long
since disappeared from their antebellum To-
cations. and the congregations, having
w GA AhiACo u lSieT west, nave
given place to handsome business houses
and Office buildings. The First Presbyte-
ran Church was then in process of cree
ton at Locust and Fourteenth. It has been
remodeled and is now the Germania Thea
ter.
The old rookery now used as, the City
Hospital was occupied then. and until re-
Gently. by the Sisters Of the Good Shep-
herd 1t is described as a large and beau
ufui building. which it no doubt was at
the time.
CHANGING through the columns Of names.
one sees many clerks who afterwards be-
came Identified with the city's wonderful
growth and development. There are the
names OF firms still in existence, being now
conducted by the sons or heirs of the pro-
prietors Of the fifties
Inc system of house numbers then IN
use made necessary the mention Of the
names of the streets between which the
numbers were located, which is done IN
most OF the advertisements in the book.
NO y Market street was between Th.r,
ana Fourth streets. No. 80 Leyee was on
the corner of Locust. One firm state that
lis store Is six doors from Ntcholson.s gro.
Gerry. Another. next to Bartle's saloon"
Inc last pages of the book are occ,,n,ed
by business advertisements. the ,anp,,es
OF which. in some cases, has rather a quaint
Sound. viewed in the light of present HIGH
sounding and up-to-date terms, One Arm
sets forth the merits of new fancy goods
which they would offer to the CITY and
country trade. a new and fresh stock. which
they are constantly receiving. in every y.-
fiety and style and of the newest pat,erns
OF foreign manufacture" Another offers
among many necesssries for men. STOCKS
dressing robes. crarat stifreners. port mon.
males. coat links and perfumery. These az
ticies were to be had at a shirt factory an
posste the Planters House. .wbere a q. :.
guaranteed"
Inc claims Of a celebrated astro,oe.,
madame B." are set forth IN e,o,,,,.
0uperiattves. very like similar cards of .ha
present day. Madame has had the bo,,r
or oeing visited by Daniel Webster Csc
fHimore. Benton. Seward, and manv o,b.r
euished persons. whose names II ia
unnecessary TO give" This wonderful vom-
VI oHers 100000 to any person who can
equai hef In telling the past. present ana
Future. Desen' anu
81. Louis Female institute. sftp. |
ated at No. los Washington svenra 49,,
NJ IfN11
street. offers q course of fns4r,..,,r
AZ .he userul and polite arts and accom-.
pAshinehes, the long list of which embraces !
esefylhihg from Holy Scripture and myth. /
o.'eS 10 bookkeeping nj calisthenics ..rh. |
french language Is used in conve,s,t,o, a. |
AN laih M under the eye OF the teacher |
"auSe french lady. educated In Parfsn
me directory closes with Tho .a,...
ment Of the Missouri State Tote, nae
NO 80 Green street nov Lucas avenue,
Detween Broadway othen Third) and Fourth
Among the names familiar -
Gay st. Louisans are those OF Doctor 9
=: Aiieyne' whose Office was at No. 1.s ~.
Gust street; George N. Lynch Undert..in.
Sompany Balmer & Weber, James Hos
oooso'nder; R N. scruggs, Eugene a.
The Man to Avoid. l
Preserve me from fhs m,n