Cold, but we have to keep going!
173. General Daniel Bissell House
173. General Daniel Bissell House
The home and its land are now owned by St. Louis County. The home was built from 1815 to 1819, and stood atop a large hill, making it a landmark in the sparsely populated area north of the city of St. Louis. Daniel Bissell was a general for the War of 1812. The Bissell family lived in the home for over 150 years, and at its largest, the estate comprised 2300 acres. Free tours are offered, but by arrangement only.
174. Old Chain of Rocks Bridge
This bridge, built in 1929, may more appropriately be called the Old Old Chain of Rocks bridge, now that the new vehicle bridge carrying I-270 is complete, but whatever. This bridge was once part of Route 66, and is notable for its 22 degree bend near the middle of the Mississippi River. While it was once set for demolition, it was added to the register of historic places in 2006. Now that it is operated by TrailNet, it is a pedestrian-only bridge. The day we visited was cold and windy, so we didn't walk it, but maybe some day we will.
175. Columbia Bottom Conservation Area
This site, which comprises over 4300 acres in far north St. Louis County at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, includes an Interpretive Center, which we explored fully; and 6.5 miles of river frontage, more than 15 miles of trails, and homes for dozens of species of animals. We're saving the outdoor activities for a warmer day.
176. America's Central Port/YMCA
This port, in Granite City, IL is an economic anchor of the sub-region. With major connections to rail, river, and road transport, it supports 900 local jobs and generates $2.5 million annually in tax revenue. We drove what we could of the port, mostly atop the levee, and saw much action in trucks and trains. The port's land also includes restaurants, apartments, and a YMCA.
177. Katherine Dunham Museum
Visits are by appointment only to the Katherine Dunham Museum in East St. Louis. Dunham started as a professional ballerina in the 1920s and then went on to a distinguished career as a philosopher, choreographer, author, actress, humanitarian, activist, and professor. She died in 2006 at the age of 97. She used her position of power and fame to bring to social issues caused by poverty and racism.
178. East St. Louis Municipal Building
East St. Louis was founded in 1797 by Captain James Piggott, a Revolutionary War veteran. In that year Piggott began operating a ferry service across the Mississippi River, connecting Illinoistown with St. Louis. We love this ladybug cake, painted by Katherine Nelson, whose work we have seen before.
179. Malcolm Martin Memorial Park
Martin Malcolm Memorial Park is one of the neatest, most hidden gems we have discovered on our caking journey. The cake sits three stories up a giant concrete structure of ramps, overlooking the skyline from the east side. In the summer, a 600-foot geyser is shot off every few hours.
Malcolm W Martin was born in St. Louis in 1912. He graduated from Yale University in 1933 and St. Louis City College of Law in 1941. Martin was drafted into the U.S. Army as a private, spending much of his service time in London. He was promoted to sergeant, and was later involved in planning the D-Day invasion at Normandy. He studied the tides of the English Channel to find the best place, time, and method for the ships to arrive on the beaches. His experiences during and after World War Two sparked his interest in civil rights issues. In World War Two, minorities were segregated, and were placed in non-combative roles such as cooks or truck drivers. He was the commanding officer of a troop returning to St. Louis, and when they arrived in Newport News, VA, authorities wanted to segregate his troop because the state was segregated at the time. He refused to yield to the segregation authorities and kept his troop together. Later he defended an African American attorney who was trying to get into the bar during the Civil Rights Era.
After the war Martin continued his contributions to the community. He was one of the founders of the KETC Channel 9 and the Arts and Education Council of Greater St. Louis. He was a trustee of the St. Louis Symphony, a member and president of the St. Louis Board of Education from 1965-1977, chairman of the St. Louis Committee on Foreign Relations, member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and trustee of the St. Louis Art Museum. He received the 1984 St. Louis Award and the National Conversation Award of the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1988. He received the former for work in developing the east bank extension of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Park.
Before the Gateway Arch was completed in 1965, Martin wanted to extend the Memorial Park to encompass both sides of the river, and complete the arch’s’ architect Eero Saarinen’s original vision for the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. Martin became chairman of the executive committee of the federal commission established in 1987 to plan the Illinois extension, and established the Gateway Center of Metropolitan St. Louis. He organized and led the center, and used his money to purchase over thirty acres of land for the IL extension.
This vision became Martin’s life dream. His work on this dream led to the creation of a Gateway Center of Metropolitan St. Louis, the tallest freshwater fountain in the world. Inspired by a fountain Martin saw outside of Geneva, Switzerland. In addition to his work with the Gateway Center, he was also a board member of several different organizations working for the same goal, the development of an east riverfront extension of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Park. (meprd.org)
Malcolm W Martin was born in St. Louis in 1912. He graduated from Yale University in 1933 and St. Louis City College of Law in 1941. Martin was drafted into the U.S. Army as a private, spending much of his service time in London. He was promoted to sergeant, and was later involved in planning the D-Day invasion at Normandy. He studied the tides of the English Channel to find the best place, time, and method for the ships to arrive on the beaches. His experiences during and after World War Two sparked his interest in civil rights issues. In World War Two, minorities were segregated, and were placed in non-combative roles such as cooks or truck drivers. He was the commanding officer of a troop returning to St. Louis, and when they arrived in Newport News, VA, authorities wanted to segregate his troop because the state was segregated at the time. He refused to yield to the segregation authorities and kept his troop together. Later he defended an African American attorney who was trying to get into the bar during the Civil Rights Era.
After the war Martin continued his contributions to the community. He was one of the founders of the KETC Channel 9 and the Arts and Education Council of Greater St. Louis. He was a trustee of the St. Louis Symphony, a member and president of the St. Louis Board of Education from 1965-1977, chairman of the St. Louis Committee on Foreign Relations, member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and trustee of the St. Louis Art Museum. He received the 1984 St. Louis Award and the National Conversation Award of the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1988. He received the former for work in developing the east bank extension of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Park.
Before the Gateway Arch was completed in 1965, Martin wanted to extend the Memorial Park to encompass both sides of the river, and complete the arch’s’ architect Eero Saarinen’s original vision for the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. Martin became chairman of the executive committee of the federal commission established in 1987 to plan the Illinois extension, and established the Gateway Center of Metropolitan St. Louis. He organized and led the center, and used his money to purchase over thirty acres of land for the IL extension.
This vision became Martin’s life dream. His work on this dream led to the creation of a Gateway Center of Metropolitan St. Louis, the tallest freshwater fountain in the world. Inspired by a fountain Martin saw outside of Geneva, Switzerland. In addition to his work with the Gateway Center, he was also a board member of several different organizations working for the same goal, the development of an east riverfront extension of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Park. (meprd.org)