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St. Louis County,
Missouri
 St.
Louis County was one of the original five
counties organized in the Missouri Territory in
1812. Until the railroads came in the 1850s, the
area remained mostly rural, and as French and
English settlers either died out or moved on, they
were replaced with German and Irish immigrants.
Today’s boundaries of St.
Louis County are the same as they were in 1876,
when the city and county were separated into two
distinct governmental entities by citizens’ vote.
St. Louis was the nation's first home-rule city, but
unlike most, it was separated from any county.
Today, more than 1 million people live in St. Louis
County’s 91 cities and villages. It is home to
Washington, Maryville and Webster universities,
Fontbonne and Missouri Baptist colleges, Concordia,
Eden, Kenrick-Glennon, and Covenant Theological
seminaries, and the University of Missouri-St.
Louis. The county seat is Clayton.
With 24 school districts and 23 fire districts, St.
Louis County is widely considered on of the most
fragmented counties in the country. However, it’s
patriotic and impressive history is the glue that
unites all citizens. The county’s famous historic
sites include:
- Jefferson
Barracks. Named in honor of former
President Thomas Jefferson, the barracks is
considered the country’s first “Infantry
School of Practice.”
- Gen.
Daniel Bissell House. Gen. Daniel
Bissell was a military commander of the Upper
Louisiana Territory. The 1812 house has period
family artifacts and furnishings on display.
- Ebsworth
Park. The Frank Lloyd Wright House in
Ebsworth Park was the architect’s first
building in the area, and one of his most
complex designs. The home is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places.
- Faust
County Park. The park is home to the
Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House, St. Louis
Carousel, a historical village, the Saint Louis
Symphony Music School and Thornhill, the estate
of Frederick Bates, Missouri’s second
governor.
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