On March 16th, we welcomed Chris Naffziger and Mark Zeman to our Unseen STL History Talks. Like our inaugural event, it was another packed house full of history enthusiasts excited to learn something new about our great city.
You can listen to the talk by clicking the button above.
Reconstructing the Adam Lemp Cave
Chris started us off by talking about Adam Lemp and how he got started with brewing beer in St. Louis. He then showed us a number of maps and early artwork depicting Lemp’s growing beer empire and then some contemporary photos of the state of the brewery caves today.
Mules and the Spanish Flu
Mark had two related presentations. He first explained how mules were essential to the fighting in World War I and described how many of them came from rural Missouri and were shipped through St. Louis to the front. He then shifted gears to talk about a concurrent historical event—the Spanish flu—and how aspirin, as well as strong proactive measures by the St. Louis local government, played a major part in reducing deaths in our area.
Mark recently published his book Historic Tales of St. Louis, which you can purchase at Spine Indie Bookstore and Cafe or on Amazon.
Facebook livestream
Another way to enjoy these presentations is to check out the livestream on Spine Indie Bookstore and Cafe’s Facebook page (and while you’re there, be sure to like that page!)
Unseen STL Talks in April
Our next Unseen STL History talks will take place on April 20th, from 7-9 pm (doors open at 6 pm), at Spine Indie Bookstore and Cafe, 1976 Arsenal St.
For April we will feature talks from Jennifer Grotpeter and Leisa Collins. Jennifer, the co-author of St. Louis in Watercolor: Living History in the Gateway City, will be speaking about the artist Francis Preston Blair Jr., while Leisa, an architectural artist, will focus on the history of the Benton Park neighborhood.
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Unseen STL History Talks with Chris Naffziger and Mark Zeman