The Campbell House, beauty, history and more!
St. Louis Missouri has a lot of amazing sites. My friend Janna Seiz and I just decided to stop giving each other presents for the holiday. We do experiences instead! For Christmas, she took me to tour the beautiful Campbell House Museum. The mansion was home to the Robert Campbell family from a few years after it was built in 1851 – 1938. The house is full of history, beauty, and almost all original furnishings.
The neighborhood, Lucas Place
The neighborhood where the Campell House Museum was built, could be considered one of the first gated communities. Lucas Place came about when wealthy St. Louisans were leaving the city following a cholera epidemic and fire in 1849. The cholera epidemic is believed to have spread from an Irish immigrant ship. Traveling from England to the US, it spread to St. Louis. The epidemic killed approximately one-tenth of the population. Over 4,500 people in St. Louis! Thank you for modern medicine!
It was a sad year for downtown St. Louis in 1849. When the paddle boat the White Cloud caught on fire, it quickly spread. Twenty-two other steamboats, along with flatboats and barges caught the flame. Soon it expanded to the levee and gutted the waterfront. This fire was the largest and most destructive fire St. Louis has ever experienced.
St. Louis residents with wealth and privilege thought they needed a place of refuge from the dangers of downtown, that is where Lucas Place comes in. The neighborhood in 1850 was the brainchild of James Lucas and his sister Anne Lucas Hunt. They developed an area, a place that would be a private neighborhood apart from the city. With restrictions on the properties forbidding commercial endeavors, and prices so high that only the wealthy could afford the live there, the neighborhood flourished. The Campbell House was the first house built. Today, it is the only, and last house standing.
The Campbells
The Campbell House Museum brochure shares the story of the Campbell family. “The story of Irish-immigrant Robert Campell is the quintessential American story – one of adventure and hard-earned fortune and ultimately family tragedy and triumph.”
Robert arrived in St. Louis at the age of 19. He made his fortune in the fur trade. Our guide Dennis shared that after a doctor said he had Tuberculosis, Robert headed west for his health. Walking to Wyoming, during his travels, he became one of the foremost names in the West. After his fortune was made in the fur trade Robert spread his businesses to include banking, steamboats, real estate and more. Soon he was one of the wealthiest men in St. Louis.
Marrying Virginia Jane Kyle, a cousin of his sister-in-law, the two had a happy marriage. Their story however is wrought with sadness because out of 13 children, only three survived to adulthood. Hugh Campbell the eldest son kept the house in wonderful condition until Hazlett, the youngest Campell passed on. With the furnishings intact, and this the only remaining home of Lucas Place, the community rallied and saved the house for future generations to enjoy.
Stories abound of those that came like President Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman, and Lakota leader Red Cloud. This along with the architecture and history makes for an amazing visit. While there, we saw a beautiful wedding dress display that our guide Dennis said they share every ten years or so. Except for Mrs. Campbell’s, the dresses are not associated with the family, they are still marvelous! They go from a “hippie” wedding dress to a Bob Mackey stunner. There are dresses from many time periods to enjoy.
The gift shop is also a great place to find wonderful items. Both Janna and I had to bring home a beautiful lithophane night light! The guide shared that he bought all of his Christmas presents there, and I can see why!
The tour also includes the carriage house filled with carriages!
Next door.
It is worth stopping next door to view the 21c Museum Hotel. This cool hotel is the site of the former YMCA building, and it has received a total renovation. Originally built in 1926, in a Renaissance Revival style, the hotel was the largest local branch. It was open until 2017. The 21c Hotel brand restores historic budlings into boutique hotels and fills the space with art. They also include penguins which represent the hotel mascot! We stopped into this lovely space and had a cup of tea and hot chocolate while waiting for our house tour.
In the lobby, we noted the dramatic artwork titled O by Serkan Ozdaya. The huge glass orb is filled with water and presents an upside-down world! The hotel website shares, “Located in the heart of downtown St. Louis, and a short walk from the City Museum and CITYPARK stadium, 21c Museum Hotel St. Louis includes a 173-room boutique hotel, contemporary art museum, Idol Wolf restaurant, Good Press café, and Locust Street Athletic and Swim Club, a full-service wellness center. With more than 14,000 square feet of exhibition and meeting & event space seamlessly integrated into all areas of the property, there are opportunities to discover contemporary art around every corner.”
Lunch!
We dined at a fun restaurant called Rooster. A European brunch style restaurant, they serve great food. Janna and I shared a mushroom and brie crepe, and zucchini vegetable scramble. YUM! The whole building is open, airy and designed with a fun rooster decor!
There is a lot of history to be found in St. Louis. The list of places to visit goes on and on. Take a trip to the land of the Gateway Arch, and see the city that is filled with sports, history, and beauty.
