On Esley Hamilton, History Hikes & A Nabokov Poem About Gingkos

Dear Readers,

A while back, for a decade or so, Esley Hamilton (the historian working out of the St. Louis County Parks Dept., now retired) and I conducted walking tours through the original Maplewood subdivision.  They were part of a program of Esley’s that he called History Hikes.  He led them through many of the older neighborhoods in STL Co.

In Maplewood, we covered the 7300 block of Manchester. Then circled around through the parking lot at the Bottleworks to Anna, Marshall, Myrtle, Hazel, Maple, Arbor, Flora and back up Sutton.  It took about two hours.

There were a lot of dropouts.  Now that I’m older I understand why.  I’ve done a few on my own since then.  No one wants to walk that far.

Evelyn’s gingko was one of the features on our tour.  It is great that Evelyn’s home is one of the very few that still has an original exterior.

What follows is Esley’s comment on my recent post about the landmark tree.  I thought that it was interesting enough that it deserved wider exposure than just the comments section at the end of the article.  Besides, he sent a poem.  I don’t think that has ever happened before to one of my posts.

I am especially delighted to see your pictures of Evelyn’s ginkgo, since we passed it on our walking tour so many times.

This reminds me that I forgot to mention the ginkgo trees on the Washington University campus when I gave a tour there for the Landmarks Association.  The University even has a plaque on a nearby wall with Howard Nemerov’s poem about them.

Esley

The Consent,  by Howard Nemerov

Late in November, on a single night

Not even near to freezing, the ginkgo trees

That stand along the walk drop all their leaves

In one consent, and neither to rain nor to wind

But as though to time alone: the golden and green

Leaves litter the lawn today, that yesterday

Had spread aloft their fluttering fans of light.

What signal from the stars? What senses took it in?

What in those wooden motives so decided

To strike their leaves, to down their leaves,

Rebellion or surrender? and if this

Can happen thus, what race shall be exempt?

What use to learn the lessons taught by time,

If a star at any time may tell us: Now.

Well, I don’t know anything about poetry but I like it.

Thanks to Esley and Mr. Nemerov for injecting a little culture into my history blog.

Kristin Tanner’s MRH class holding the enlarged photographs that we used on the hikes.  2018

Same as the previous one.  I just didn’t want to leave any one out.

This young man is holding an enlargement of a 1930 panoramic photo that is in our collection at the Maplewood Public Library.  He is standing near the location where it was made.  This was the “fireworks” at the end of our show!

This is my favorite photo from the ones I took during our History Hikes.  I included it in my second book, Maplewood History, Volume Two.  I call it the “Smile and Wave.”

Doug Houser    November 19, 2025