A little over a year ago I made a visit to the archives belonging to the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park. There I met the archivist Lauren Sallwasser who turned out to be a fellow Maplewoodian.
She showed me their collection of documents and photographs that had been donated by Margaret Sappington Townsend. She was kind enough to provide me with digital copies of two of the photo albums from that collection. It was a mind-blowing experience. I’ve been trying to get back ever since.
Although, I have posted many of the images from those two albums that I consider solid gold nuggets from the rich vein of Maplewood history. There are many more that are worth a look.
I have been displaying the pages from the album ten pages at a time. At first I wondered if I would be exceeding the digital capacity of our interface. But so far, so good.
If you would like to see Part Two, click on this one.
If you would like to see Part Three, click on this one.
Here are nine more pages from Margaret’s album beginning with page thirty-one.
All three of these are pretty interesting. Let’s take a closer look at them.
They seem to be in a small town somewhere. The street isn’t paved. The Busch beer sign is pretty cool. I don’t think I ever figured out who the tow-headed boy is.
Are these the same girls? If so, at least a couple have have changed their outfits. This restaurant has a Ladies Entrance to the _UNCHROOM. The lettering on the window reads – Tables for Ladies.
In this, the third image on the same page, three men, seven women and the tow-headed boy are at a train station somewhere.
Page thirty-two. The middle one is curious. I wonder what the bird meant.
Page thirty-three. The top image is definitely connected to the bottom one on the previous page.
In both of the images, with the horse and carriage, portions of homes are visible. Unfortunately I can’t recognize any of them as, maybe, having been in Maplewood.
Page thirty-four. Ditto on this page. I have no idea where these images were made. The Palladian window on the home in the background could be a useful clue to identify this location. I’m fairly certain that it is not in Maplewood.
Page thirty-five. I have titled this page – Fabulous porch and hats.
They definitely spent a lot on hats…porches, too.
They must have spent a lot on clothing as well. The men are always wearing suits.
Page thirty-six. I have titled this page – Don’t jump and familiar glider.
They spent a lot on kid’s clothes, too. Have you noticed that in many of these old photographs the subjects are dressed-to-the-nines and then they go out and stand in the woods. ???
This is the one I called – Don’t jump. The location is unknown.
This is the one I’ve called – Familiar glider. This sturdy, double, lawn, swing glider, (or one like it) appears in several other photographs. I’m fairly certain the location is in Maplewood.
This image may have been captured at the home at 7477 Manchester in Maplewood.
Page thirty-seven. The one on the bottom left might have been made at the Sarah Harrison home.
Perhaps it’s the hat that is causing this young woman to misbehave?
Page thirty-eight. The houses could be in Maplewood. Just can’t say for sure.
Page thirty-nine. Finding the location of the image on the top right was thrilling. The building was the original Powhatan theater. I wrote quite a bit about it in an earlier post which I will revisit next post. Or you can link to it here.
It is interesting to note that another Palladian window is visible on the home in the background of the bottom two images. And it’s not the same building as the previous one. It is a rare architectural feature in Maplewood. I only know of one.
This last page also has images of several of my favorite creatures…dogs! That’s a good subject to go out on.
This little guy is entering the picture on the bottom right. He looks a little like a Jack Russell terrier. Had they even been invented then…say 1910 or so?
He is seen again and joined by a buddy in the other bottom photo.
A boy and his dog is a great one to end on.
The outdoor pool is opening this weekend. Hallelujah! The water will be cool at first but we have a bunch of 80 degree days in the line up. Summertime is nearly upon us. Weather wise, I couldn’t be happier.
See you at the pool.
Doug Houser May 22, 2026