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St. Louis County,
Missouri
 St.
Louis County was one of the original five
counties organized in the Missouri Territory in 1812.
Until the railroads came in the 1850s, the area remained
mostly rural, and as French and English settlers either
died out or moved on, they were replaced with German and
Irish immigrants.
Today’s boundaries of St.
Louis County are the same as they were in 1876, when
the city and county were separated into two distinct
governmental entities by citizens’ vote. St. Louis was
the nation's first home-rule city, but unlike most, it
was separated from any county.
Today, more than 1 million people live in St. Louis
County’s 91 cities and villages. It is home to
Washington, Maryville and Webster universities,
Fontbonne and Missouri Baptist colleges, Concordia,
Eden, Kenrick-Glennon, and Covenant Theological
seminaries, and the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
The county seat is Clayton.
With 24 school districts and 23 fire districts, St.
Louis County is widely considered on of the most
fragmented counties in the country. However, it’s
patriotic and impressive history is the glue that unites
all citizens. The county’s famous historic sites
include:
- Jefferson
Barracks. Named in honor of former
President Thomas Jefferson, the barracks is
considered the country’s first “Infantry School
of Practice.”
- Gen.
Daniel Bissell House. Gen. Daniel Bissell
was a military commander of the Upper Louisiana
Territory. The 1812 house has period family
artifacts and furnishings on display.
- Ebsworth
Park. The Frank Lloyd Wright House in
Ebsworth Park was the architect’s first building
in the area, and one of his most complex designs.
The home is listed on the National Register of
Historic Places.
- Faust
County Park. The park is home to the
Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House, St. Louis Carousel,
a historical village, the Saint Louis Symphony Music
School and Thornhill, the estate of Frederick Bates,
Missouri’s second governor.
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