Doug Houser

Retired autoworker. Maplewood resident since 1975. Advocate of the Arts and Historic Preservation.

Maplewood History: The Fischer Bros. Meat Market

A few weeks back, I made a post with the title, “Everything Ziegler and a Bit of Fischer.” Well, thanks to the generosity of Brad...

Maplewood History: Mr. ? Stewart – the Sign Painter

Does anyone out there remember Stewart, the sign painter? I think of him every time I ride my bike past where he once had...

Maplewood History: A Triptych of the Wedge

A year or so ago, David Schlafly asked me to help to set up some sort of an exhibit about the history of Maplewood...

Maplewood History: Everything Ziegler and A Bit of Fischer

Early in 2017, I was invited by Luke Havel to meet with him and a man named Jim Fischer at the Stone Spiral Cafe. ...

Maplewood History: Ladd Brothers Service Station

The Ladd Brothers operated a service station at Bellevue and Manchester. This I know for certain. I don’t know for how long. They must...

Maplewood History: If You Can’t Tell A Bollard From A Guard Stone…

Well, neither can I sometimes. I have been considering doing this post for quite awhile because I had become convinced, wrongly as I now...

Maplewood History: Lustron Homes

Lustron homes were designed as an answer to the housing shortage in America following WWII. They were and still are a porcelainized enamel-coated, all...

Maplewood History: The Ghost Sign at Sutton and Manchester

Letters. I get letters. Well, mostly I get emails and texts but I do occasionally get a letter as well. Recently I heard from...

Maplewood History: Let’s Bring Back the Great Old Signs of Maplewood!

I'm dusting off another old post. Blame the long hours of day light. This one first ran about 6 1/2 years ago. We...

Maplewood History: Let Them Eat Art Is 16 Today!

The 16th annual Let Them Eat Art Event in Maplewood is today, July 8, from 6 to 10PM. I had a lot to say...

Maplewood History: Another Batch of Vintage Photographs from Some of the Earliest Photography Studios in St. Louis

More images from the collection of Emma Beauvais Thomas Grumley. This is the thirteenth post in this series. For those of you who are just coming...

Maplewood History: “A Good Corn Broom” Can Be Yours at Scheidt Hardware

It must have been some time in the late 1970s when my neighbor, Mrs. Mahler, who was probably around 90 years old, told me...

The Legacy of the Dancing Schwartzmans (again)

What follows was my fourteenth post on the website, 40 South News. It first appeared on January 6, 2014. In the first few lines,...

Maplewood History: Still More Vintage Photographs from Some of the Earliest Photography Studios in St. Louis

More images from the collection of Emma Beauvais Thomas Grumley. This is the twelfth post in this series. For those of you who are just coming...

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Doug Houser

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