Theo. Weber and family moved to Maplewood from Kirkwood about 1903. My first post contains the images and documents that pertain to the Kirkwood years. This second post has mostly images from their years in Maplewood. If you haven’t seen my first post on this fantastic collection you should do that now. Part One.
One of the last images in my first post is one of Lillian Weber made in the “Summer of 1902.” On the back she has written, “20 years old, Kirkwood – Mo, Main St.” The image of their home and business in Maplewood, that set me off on this adventure, has “Built 1903” written on the face of it.
Let’s start with that image again.
That is 21 images and I still have quite a few more to post. Even though I promised another blockbuster image this time, it will just have to wait until next post, The Amazing Lillian Weber Herold Collection – Part Three.
Again much thanks to the descendants of Lillian Weber Herold for sharing this great material with us.
If the sun should decide to stay out for a few days, I’ll see you at the pool.
Doug Houser May 30, 2021
12 COMMENTS
Wonder what the Weber family would think if they knew their home is now White Castle.
Wow, wondered what happened with the car. You wouldn’t think cars back then couldn’t go fast enough to cause serious injuries in a crash. Possibly it caught on fire and she couldn’t escape?
Hi Todd, Automobiles in 1912 didn’t go fast compared to the automobiles of today. But crash they did and many folks were killed or injured. Keep in mind the roads weren’t paved, no one wore seat belts, traffic laws were either missing or ignored, and driver training and testing was probably mostly nonexistent. On top of all of that the machines themselves were very unsafe. Though I never have, I’d bet that if you search for images online of old car crashes, you will probably find plenty. Thanks for your comment.
I was wondering about the initials on the ball uniform also. If you knew the year it was taken some looking at phone book or businesses listings in the area might give you a clue. I don’t know if it was a regional thing and it was certainly a much later time but I know that there used to be several church baseball leagues. Maplewood Baptist might have had a team to compete with other Baptist churches in the area type of thing. Presbeteryan church or some business like a Painting company. The clubhouse could refer to the one story since it kind of looks like a line pointing to the upper floor. Several times I have heard about the upper floor of a building being a dance hall or meeting hall for some club or group.
Hey Doug. Based on the dormers I thing the building under construction is the home in the background of the last photo in the first post in this series. The lettering on the roof is probably the EPC that is on the uniform. Just a thought.
Darn good catch, Luke! I think you are right. Now we just have to figure out what the EPC stood for and why it would appear on a baseball uniform and a porch roof?
Considering the back building being the same (it’s under construction in the 1904 picture, completed in the 1908 picture), the title ‘club house’, and the address being listed as 7485, would it be reasonable to assume that the property hadn’t been divided yet and that back building with the letters on the roof was just part of the Theo Weber property?
Considering the ‘club house’ is under construction in the 1904 picture and completed with letters on roof in 1908 picture, and also the address on the EPC picture is 7485, wouldn’t it be likely that the Weber property was pretty large at that time, and the building in question was owned by the Webers? And then somewhere after 1908 it was sold and divided up and became those houses built on Lyle in 1916?
Wonder what the Weber family would think if they knew their home is now White Castle.
I can’t say, Todd, but if I was given the chance I’d have to recommend to them the jalapeno cheeseburgers.
Wow, wondered what happened with the car. You wouldn’t think cars back then couldn’t go fast enough to cause serious injuries in a crash. Possibly it caught on fire and she couldn’t escape?
Hi Todd, Automobiles in 1912 didn’t go fast compared to the automobiles of today. But crash they did and many folks were killed or injured. Keep in mind the roads weren’t paved, no one wore seat belts, traffic laws were either missing or ignored, and driver training and testing was probably mostly nonexistent. On top of all of that the machines themselves were very unsafe. Though I never have, I’d bet that if you search for images online of old car crashes, you will probably find plenty. Thanks for your comment.
I was wondering about the initials on the ball uniform also. If you knew the year it was taken some looking at phone book or businesses listings in the area might give you a clue. I don’t know if it was a regional thing and it was certainly a much later time but I know that there used to be several church baseball leagues. Maplewood Baptist might have had a team to compete with other Baptist churches in the area type of thing. Presbeteryan church or some business like a Painting company. The clubhouse could refer to the one story since it kind of looks like a line pointing to the upper floor. Several times I have heard about the upper floor of a building being a dance hall or meeting hall for some club or group.
Hey Mark, Old phone books…now there’s an idea. They must be archived somewhere not too far away.
The St. Louis County Library on Lindbergh has old phone books, yellow pages, city and county directories.
Hey Doug. Based on the dormers I thing the building under construction is the home in the background of the last photo in the first post in this series. The lettering on the roof is probably the EPC that is on the uniform. Just a thought.
Darn good catch, Luke! I think you are right. Now we just have to figure out what the EPC stood for and why it would appear on a baseball uniform and a porch roof?
Considering the back building being the same (it’s under construction in the 1904 picture, completed in the 1908 picture), the title ‘club house’, and the address being listed as 7485, would it be reasonable to assume that the property hadn’t been divided yet and that back building with the letters on the roof was just part of the Theo Weber property?
Considering the ‘club house’ is under construction in the 1904 picture and completed with letters on roof in 1908 picture, and also the address on the EPC picture is 7485, wouldn’t it be likely that the Weber property was pretty large at that time, and the building in question was owned by the Webers? And then somewhere after 1908 it was sold and divided up and became those houses built on Lyle in 1916?
Well, I guess, Ian. Maybe, at some point, we’ll find some more information.