For our November Unseen STL History Talks, we had the pleasure of hosting two engaging talks that brought St. Louis' hidden stories to light. First, Marc Blanc, a Ph.D. candidate at Washington University, shared the intriguing life of James Eads How, grandson of James Buchanan Eads (the man behind the Eads Bridge). How rejected his family's wealth to become a hobo, and funded "Hobo Colleges" and published the Hobo News. Then, architect and preservationist Gary Tetley shared the work of renowned architect Louis Sullivan, his client Ellis Wainwright, and St. Louis architect Charles Ramsey, focusing on the Sullivan-designed Wainwright building.
Both speakers enriched our understanding of St. Louis, blending unconventional lives with architectural marvels.
You can listen to the talks with the link above, and you can follow along with the slides below.
Coming up!
This coming Saturday (Nov. 25th) we have three “bonus” Unseen STL History talks. These are part of the day-long Spine-iversary with music, poetry, storytelling, history, and more happening all day. Check out the recent announcement post to learn about our speakers and the schedule of talks.
Meanwhile, in December, we’re going to do something completely different to celebrate the holiday and our community. On Dec. 21st come out to share your stories at “Our Favorite Things.”
We’re hoping everyone will tell us about the St. Louis they know and love, and share tidbits about the history they think is worth remembering. So that means you can talk about the neighborhood where you grew up, a renovation or preservation project (or something you’d like to see saved), or maybe a bygone restaurant, store, amusement park, or architectural marvel. Or instead of places, maybe there’s a person or event that inspired you or that you think fondly about years later?
Whatever it is, we’d love to hear your stories and memories! And if you feel inspired, we hope you’ll dress for the holiday season (ugly holiday sweaters are obviously encouraged. 🥸).
Interested in more Unseen St. Louis history?
Be sure to subscribe to Unseen St. Louis for the latest articles about local history and information about the monthly talks. And for even more history, be sure to follow Unseen St. Louis on Facebook.
And if you haven’t joined us yet, be sure to sign up for Unseen STL History Adventures on Meetup! Coming up is a trip to the Cathedral Basilica and another to the National Building Arts Center, with more planned for after the holidays. (If you didn’t get a ticket to the NBAC tour, don’t worry. We’ll do it again in 2024!)
Support Unseen St. Louis
Running Unseen St. Louis is a labor of love for me. Still, it takes time to research local history topics, network with speakers and meetup locations, share content on Facebook, run a meetup group, and promote everything.
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If you enjoy what I’m doing and want to help make these efforts sustainable, please consider signing up for a paid subscription to this Substack.
As always, thanks for all your support and interest in St. Louis history.
Unseen STL History Talks - Hoboes and Architectural History