Basilica

 

The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis contains one of the larges mosaic collections in the Western Hemisphere.

St. Louis Missouri

Mercury

 

This statue was created by Frederick Ruckstull and stands on the grassway of the Private Drive called Portland Place.  It is called Mercury Teasing the Eagle of Jupitor.  Ruckstull was the chief sculptor for the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.

St. Louis Missouri

The Blacksmith

 

The Blacksmith's shop inside the Bakersville Pioneer Village in rural Missouri.  It's a difficult to locate place but worth a back-road trip to find it.

Near Mansfield Missouri

 Hodgson Water Mill

Dora Missouri

Clydesdale

 

One of the Clydesdale horses at the historic Budweiser Brewery.  These horses are some of the most pampered horses in the country.

St. Louis Missouri 

Jail House

 

The Bakersville Jail House at Bakersville Pioneer Village

Near Mansfield Missouri

Distillery on Campus

 

On the campus of Missouri State University and the Missouri State Fruit Experiment Station, one can find a distillery.  It is called the Missouri State Winery and Distillery.  

Mountain Grove Missouri

Many years ago when I visited the winery, I bought a bottle of port that had received an award.  I still have that bottle.  They say that port is best aged and this one has been aging close to 20 years now.

Faurot Hall

 

Faurot Hall is the Administration Building for the Missouri State Fruit Experiment Station, part of Missouri State University.  It was built in 1900 and designed by Henry H Hohenschild.  It was placed on the National Register of Historic places in 1979.

Mountain Grove Missouri

Courthouse

 

The Old County Courthouse in St. Louis is now part of the Gateway Arch National Park.  

St. Louis Missouri

Meeting of the Waters

 

The Meeting of the Waters Fountain in downtown St. Louis represents the meeting of the Mississippi River and the Missouri River.  

St. Louis Missouri

Mark Twain

 

Mark Twain's boyhood home and museum.  The white building was the home of Samuel Langhorne Clemons, better known as Mark Twain from 1844 to 1853.  

Hannibal Missouri

Hodgson Mill

 

Hodgson Mill is a historic grist mill located on the Bryant Creek in Ozark County Missouri.  It was constructed in 1897 and is now on the Historic Register for the United States.  

Hodgson Mill still produces stone ground flours and baking mixes only now they are produced at a factory in Illinois.  

Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis

 

This magnificent cathedral was completed in 1914 in a Neo-Byzantine Romanesque Revival style.  It was designated a Basilica in 1997 by Pope John Paul II.  The inside of the church contains one of the largest mosaic installations in the Western Hemisphere.  

St. Louis Missouri 

A Home for Art

 

The St. Louis Art Museum

St. Louis Missouri

Gateway to the West

 

The Gateway Arch in the Gateway Arch National Park

St. Louis Missouri

Beautiful Campus

 

Washington University

St. Louis Missouri

Around St. Louis

 

There are a lot of things to see and do in St. Louis but I'm sure the most well known is the Gateway Arch.  

I took the these two photos back in the 90's when I was temporarily working in St. Louis.  This was the view out the window of my small apartment.

After you've visited the Arch, head over to Forest Park to visit the St. Louis Art Museum.  It's a beautiful museum with a wonderful collection and an inspiring variety of special exhibits.  In the photo of the outside you can see King Louis IX of France leading the charge in front of the museum.  He is the namesake for the city of St. Louis.

Another fun place to visit is the Anheuser-Busch Brewery.  After parking in the lot, you might be greeted by one of the majestic Clydesdale horses.  They are magnificent creatures and they are pampered like the royalty they are.

St. Louis has a vast array of interesting architecture.  There are so many buildings I admired and the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court Building (to the left) is one of them.

The campus of Washington University (above) also has some unique architecture. 

The last place I'll list to visit is the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis.  The beauty of this church would rival almost any grand church around the world.  I did a post about this incredible building a few years ago.  You can see it here.  The inside is worth seeing.  

Backroads of Missouri

 

One of my sisters used to live in rural Missouri and when I'd visit her, one of my favorite things to do was to drive around on the back roads.  You know the unpaved roads that lead to farms.  I've found amazing things traveling those roads.

A good example is this old school house that is surrounded by shrubs and trees.

On another turn in the road, I was greeted by these fellows with their very dramatic head gear.  I wasn't expecting to see long-horn cattle in this part of the country so they were a treat to see.

After spotting the cattle, I came across a little village called Rockbridge.  The bank is no longer a bank at all, I think it has become a gift shop.

Across the street from the "bank" was this place called the Grist Mill Club.  It turned out to be a restaurant and store.  The scene was so pretty, my sister and I decided we would stop for lunch.  

That would be where we were served the biggest, fat onion rings I'd ever seen.  As I recall, they were delicious.  

After a very nice lunch, we walked all around the old mill and spotted a couple of fishermen looking for a good spot to do some fishing.  

It was a perfect afternoon drive around the country roads.  It seems I can always find something interesting to photograph and someplace equally interesting to visit.

Ozark Country Roads

When I visit my sister in Missouri, my favorite thing to do is to drive around the country roads to see what I might find.  It's usually beautiful views or picturesque barns and even an old fashioned mill on one drive.  But, on this particular day, I found a little known Pioneer Village called Bakersville.

We were driving on a rutted, dirt road so coming across this little community was quite a surprise.  Our curiosity got the best of us so we stopped to have a look around.

We examined the old buildings which all had an authentic look to them.  We even got a close-up look at this old covered wagon.  What we didn't see were any people.  There was no one else around.  We had the place all to ourselves.  It was as though the place was an old deserted ghost town.

At one of the buildings we found was a Seed Store that was open so we went inside but mysteriously, there was no one attending the store.  Since no one was available to ask questions, I had to do a little research about this place.  Apparently the seed store actually does sell packets of seeds, mostly heirloom varieties but, usually during festival periods.  In fact, it looked like the place has at least two big weekend festivals every year when the little town is humming with visitors and that flour mill is selling fresh bread.  

The property sits on the site of an old homestead that was once owned by a family named Rippee.  The family farmed the property for many, many years trading with the Osage Indians and caring for Civil War soldiers all while growing a large variety of crops. 

So now this area stands as a legacy to a passing time.  It's amazing the things you can find if you just take the time to travel a few back roads.  

Another "St. Louis Cathedral"

Last Sunday I featured the Saint Louis Cathedral in New Orleans.  This Sunday I'm featuring the St. Louis Cathedral in St. Louis Missouri.  This one was designated a Basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1997.  Dedication for this church took place in 1914.

This church is know for its large installation of mosaics, the largest in the Western Hemisphere.

Installation of the mosaics began way back in 1912 before the church was even dedicated and continued until 1988.  That's a very long time to be completing the task but, if you step inside the church, you might understand why.








The entire church is covered with beautiful mosaics containing 41.5 million glass pieces in more than 7,000 colors and covering 83,000 square feet of space.

The mosaics in the side chapels and sanctuary were designed and installed by Tiffany Studios.  Those inside the main church were designed by August Oetken.

When you walk inside the church, it seems like every where you look it sparkles and shines.

I've seen spectacular churches in Europe but the St. Louis Cathedral can stand up against any of those grand churches.  It's well worth a peek inside.