Maplewood History: First There Were Horses – Part 3

By
Doug Houser
-
20
163

You may have been wondering if I could find enough material to support a third “First There Were Horses” post.  Well, so was I.  A few times in the past I’ve made guesses as to how many posts I could get on a certain subject and I’m usually wrong.  But this time I think I’ve just about exhausted the horse material in my digital collection.

I’m more of a car guy but this horse stuff is interesting too, don’t you think?  I hope you enjoy this latest and probably last post on the subject…at least for awhile.

this is a composite photo I made for some long forgotten reason. the photo of Woodside is thought to have been taken in 1904. I included the photos of Judge Edward (Ned) Rannells and his wife Elinor Cartmell Rannells because they were living there at the time. whjere are the horses? I'm guessing they would probably be in that barn that can be seen in the distance. these photos are all courtesy of the Rannells family.
This is a composite photo I made for some long forgotten reason. The photo of Woodside is thought to have been taken in 1904. I included the photos of Judge Edward (Ned) Rannells and his wife, Elinor Cartmell Rannells because they were living there at the time. Where are the horses? I’m guessing they would probably be in that barn that can be seen in the distance. These photos are all courtesy of the Rannells family.
This photo obviously taken on the same day as the one prior gives us a different view of the home and outbuildings. Also courtesy of the Rannells Family.
This photo obviously taken on the same day as the one prior gives us a different view of the home and outbuildings. Also courtesy of the Rannells Family.
this is an excerpt from a memoir wrtitten by John Rannells, Ned's nephew, recalling an incident that occurred on a visit to Woodside. It is a wonderful personal anecdote about the transition from horses to automobiles. Courtesy of elise Rannells todd.
The above is an excerpt from a memoir written by John Rannells, Ned’s nephew, recalling an incident that occurred on a visit to Woodside. It is a wonderful personal anecdote about the transition from horses to automobiles. I’ll have to read the memoir again but from memory the year was 1916. John also talks about an earlier visit in 1904 when he and others watched the fireworks from the World’s Fair from an attic window. Courtesy of Elise Rannells Todd.
These wild horses are on a receipt of Ned's from his personal papers. these papers can now be viewed by interested parties at the St. Louis Center of the Missouri State Historical Society on the campus at UMSL adjacent to the Mercantile Library. They can be found there due to the generosity of the Rannells family.
These wild horses are on a receipt of Ned’s from his personal papers. These papers can now be viewed by interested parties at the St. Louis Center of the Missouri State Historical Society on the campus at UMSL adjacent to the Mercantile Library. They can be found there due to the generosity of the Rannells family.
Likewise this receipt for a horse named Miss Grizzle form the St. Louis Police Dept.
Likewise this receipt for a horse named Miss Grizzle from the St. Louis Police Dept.
And also this bill from the Scientific Horseshoer.
And also this bill from the Scientific Horseshoer.
Moving on this image appeared in an article about the Wedge shortly before that building was destroyed in the 1970's.
Moving on … this image appeared in a Globe-Democrat article about the Wedge shortly before that building was destroyed in the 1970’s.  Located on the wedge at Southwest and Manchester this was one we shouldn’t have lost.  It was demolished for the ill-fated redevelopment scheme that ultimately brought us…ta dah..K Mart.  It took Shop’N’Save to rescue us from the poorly built K Mart structure. Courtesy of the Maplewood Public Library.
In spite of the damage to this photo, mules belonging to the Maplewood Mill can be seen snorting steam in the middle of Sutton. The comercial building and the church at Hazel still exist. The church is now minus the roof on its steeple. Courtesy of Alan Blood.
In spite of the damage to this photo, mules belonging to the Maplewood Mill can be seen snorting steam in the middle of Sutton. The mules were used to haul lumber from the railroad to the mill.  The commercial building and the church at Hazel still exist. The church is now minus the roof on its steeple. Courtesy of Alan Blood.
Mules can be seen still being used to clear land in this image from the 1920's.
Mules can be seen still being used to clear land in this image from 1926.  The location is somewhere north of Manchester.  The tower was a signal tower that guided planes to Lambert Field.  The Bruno house is said to be in the background of this photo.  The Bruno family had a large farm just north of Sutton’s property which extended north of Manchester for a block or so.  The Bruno home is now located on Gayola (This is incorrect. The Bruno home is actually at 7310 Bruno.) a couple of doors west of Oakview Terrace.  The street, Bruno, in Richmond Heights is crooked, I’m told, because it was once the driveway to the Bruno home.  I’ve also been told that what appears today to be the front of the home was once the rear. Courtesy of my good friend, Joellen McDonald of the Richmond Heights Historical Society.
Certainly one of Maplewood's most beautiful residences, the Koester home at Flora and Sutton looks exactly the same today as it did in this historic photo. It is no accident as the owners, Jim and Beth Abeln who have done a magnificent job or restoration, will tell you. The home is known to generations of Maplewoodites as the house with wings on the roof. the bran seen in the back is th reason I'm including his photo in the horse post. The cable-stayed barn survived until fairly recently. Cable-stayed is a term usually apllied only to bridges. In this case the barn was cable stayed by a large cable that andy Kusnierkiewicz the former owner had wrapped around the structure and secured to a "dead man" (a buried anchor).
Certainly one of Maplewood’s most beautiful residences, the Koester home at Flora and Sutton looks exactly the same today as it did in this historic photo. It is no accident as the owners, Jim and Beth Abeln who have done a magnificent job of restoration, will tell you. The home is known to generations of Maplewoodites as the house with wings on the roof. The barn seen in the back is the reason I’m including this photo in the horse post. The cable-stayed barn survived until fairly recently. Cable-stayed is a term usually applied only to bridges. In this case the barn was cable-stayed by a large cable that Andy Kusnierkiewicz, (I can pronounce it too) the former owner, had wrapped around the structure and secured to a “dead man” (a buried anchor). It was an unusual method tried to correct a nearly terminal tilt to the structure.  Worked for awhile. Courtesy of the Maplewood Public Library.
And finally... this photo makes me wince everytime I look at it. This is the barn that was lost in just the last few years at Marshall and Maple. It looks like a painting. the owners investigated ways to try and save it but obviously couldn't. We need to stop the loss of our good historic fabric such as this barn. Soulard has done it with one of the strictest preservation codes in the area. what happened? It is packed and property values soared.
And finally… this photo makes me wince every time I look at it. This is the barn that was lost in just the last few years at Marshall and Maple. It looks like a painting. The owners investigated ways to try and save it but obviously couldn’t. We need to stop the loss of our good historic fabric such as this barn. Soulard has done it with one of the strictest preservation codes in the area. What happened? It is packed with people and property values soared. Losses such as this and the Harper Pharmacy cabinets diminish our community.  Some of us preservation minded folks need to come up with a way to prevent them happening in the future.

 

20 COMMENTS

  1. Doug,
    I’ve enjoyed the “horse” series very much, as I have all of your series. It just occurred to me that I have a horse picture from Maplewood taken by my dad in about 1950. The Maplewood Theater and (I’m guessing) Davidson’s Restaurant were giving away a horse to some lucky winner. This publicity picture was taken in front of the theater and Sterling Davidson (who was or later became Mayor of Maplewood) was holding the horse. I was the first of four children mounted on the horse in the picture. I would be happy to send this to you if you will send me the email address to send it to.

    • Chuck, that would be wonderful. You can send it to me at dkhouser @gmail.com. I’m especially interested in tracking down old photos that are related to the Maplewood theater or any of the theaters that were in Maplewood for that matter. This would be killing two birds with one stone. Thank you very much.

  2. Hi Doug,
    I have not been getting the “40 South News” from you for awhile. The listed email is correct, but I got this one in my icloud, which I never use. Please send I and II of the Horses in Maplewood. Always love the work you do…this one was again, very interesting.

    Annie Blase Deutchman, was the paternal grandfather of kids I went to school with in Des Peres. They owned the Deutchman Nursery and Florist company on Manchester Road (north side) of Manchester Road going east, before Ballas Road. It was the Des Peres/Kirkwood town crossing area. Blase Road is right across the street where Deuchman’s nursery and florist company was on Manchester Road. Thanks, Nora Cahill

    • Nora, For some reason your email wasn’t on the list to receive the newsletter. I added it. Thanks for asking. Also, I added the links to each of Doug Houser’s Horses in Maplewood posts, to easily go from one to another.

    • Hey Nora, good to hear from you. I have tried to track that original photograph down. I am acquainted with a descendant of the family who thinks she may be able to find it. I’d love to get a good digital copy of it. Sometimes the mounts and things written on the back can be of great interest as well. Thank you very much for volunteering your information.

  3. Thanks, Doug. I really enjoyed this series of articles/photos. I wonder if the street names of Arlington, Hawthorne and Beuhlah (actually located in Richmond Heights) are named after the horse racing tracks that share the same names. Kind of off topic, but hay, horses 🙂

    • It sounds like a plausible theory, Dustin but I don’t have any information on that. Perhaps my partner Joellen McDonald of the Richmond Heights Historical Society will be able to answer your question. Are you out there Joellen?

  4. Doug, in the far left of the Jim and Beth Abeln house photo, you can see 2915-2913 Sutton and you can Krodinger’s Real Estate building. 2907-2911 building was not built yet and is not present. I have been told that the Krodinger building was a Barbecue joint, fire pit chimney sill present, and the space next door to the south, 2907-11 was the beer garden for it. That would place the photo you posted of Jim and Beth Abeln’s home before 1940, I would think.

    Thanks for posting this. Very interesting.

    • You are very welcome, Doug Smith, my mentor who first introduced me to Photoshop. The date I have in my memory of that photo is 1939 but I just couldn’t turn up that information at the moment I was looking for it. For that reason I think you are spot on. You are absolutely right about the Realty building once being a barbecue joint. It appears in the panoramic photo from 1930 some of which I have posted in my blog. Come to think of it I did a whole blog post about panoramic cameras and photos.

  5. I lived at 7215 Moller Ave, built in 1895… 42 windows, i loved Maplewood.. i think i was about 25 years to early, still had the old stable and workshop..stone foundation, servants entrance right house wrong time, just want to say i love these old pics and stories, My Grandmother said you went to Maplewood or Wellston for the shopping by streetcar back in the day…is till shop and enjoy the new and older eating establishments.

    • There was not much in Maplewood in 1895. Most of it was built later after the introduction of the streetcar in 1896. I found your comment very interesting and I will drive by and take a look at your home. If there are any photos of the home in your family collection I would love to be able to copy them . Thank you J. Butler.

  6. I live very close to the Rannells House and it is all hills now. Why did the hills and valleys happen?

    • Mr./Ms. community member, Do you mean why are there hills and valleys that exist now but don’t appear in the photos? I think they were probably there when the photos were taken as well. The streets being cut through later may have changed things a little. Thank you for your question.

    • Beth, I checked my file and it is at 7310 Bruno. I was wrong thinking it was on Gayola. Thanks for your question.

    • Sorry Luke but I don’t. This photo was part of a group of photos that Alan Blood kindly allowed us to copy. Some of those photos were from about 1928, the time of completion of the current mill building. Can’t say for sure if this one was from that time or not. The county directories at the Headquarters branch of the St. Louis County Library probably hold the answer. Thanks for your question.

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