Pierre Martin/Nicholas Boisrnenue House, East Carondelet, IL…read more I was allowed access to the inside the Martin-Boismenue House on October 10, 2015 for a photo-shoot. The house is now owned by the State of Illinois' Historic Preservation Agency. The Martin-Boismenue House used to hold two annual open-houses where the public was invited to view the interior of this late 18th century homestead and to interact with costumed interpreters to learn about French Colonial America. Traditionally these open houses were held during the Fete du Bons Vieux Temps in February and the St. Nicholas Tradition event in December, but they have not been held for over 10 years. The Pierre Martin Family. The Martin family was an old and large French Canadian family. Pierre Martin was born in La Rivenue Parish, Quebec, ca. 1745. He had arrived in the Illinois Country and was living in the village of Cahokia by 1770, the year he married Marie St. Yves. Pierre at age 42. He was listed in the 1787 census as the male head of a household living in Cahokia with two children. Pierre Martin was a Revolutionary War veteran. In the 1790 census, Pierre is listed as head of the household in the village of Prairie du Pont (East Carondelet), Illinois. He apparently acquired the property in this year as an improvement claim which require that he farm the land and built a house. It is therefore assumed that the Martini Boismenue House was constructed in 1790. In 1794, his Prairie du Pont property is described as consisting of a house, barn lot, garden, and other small outbuildings. The Martin-Boismenue House is a surviving example of the French Creole poteaux-sur-solle (post-on-sill) construction and one of the oldest structures of its kind in Illinois. This type of construction utilized upright hewn logs that were seated on a horizontal log sill and the spaces between the logs were filled with pierrotage chinking of mortar and rubble. The original building measures 20 x 35 ft and consisted of two rooms separated by a receiving hall and a one room or half basement with a separate rear entrance. The larger first floor room was the parlor, or salle, and was a multi-purpose living area. The smaller first floor room was the sleeping room, or chambre, and was a more private area. Limestone fireplaces were located at each end of the house including one in the half basement. There is a large attic which runs the entire length of the house. The house contained a stone cooking fireplace situated in a half basement, or souterrain, a rarity among similar structures that may reflect the prosperity of the owners. The basement likely functioned as a work space and living quarters as well. The original house is approximately 80% intact. A common feature of Creole architecture are the broad open porches, known as galeries, located on the front and back of the house. The galeries offered additional living space in fair weather as well as to keep the sun and rain off the whitewashed walls. At the end of the 18th century, the majority of European settlement in the middle Mississippi River Valley was confined to a sixty-mile strip between Cahokia and Kaskaskia (the Ste. Genevieve area). This fertile river bottomland, now known as the American Bottom, was the breadbasket for the Louisiana Territory. The principal crop grown was wheat but other commodities included corn, pumpkins, oats, barley, flax, cotton, and tobacco. Farmers in Pierre Martin's era would use a common field called the le grand champ. Martin would cultivate and harvest his crops with the help of his family, his one or two slaves, and hired day laborers. Once harvested, Martin would have transported his crops south to Kaskaskia where it would then be shipped to New Orleans. In 1806, Pierre Martin put up the two lots with a house and barn in Prairie du Pont and two common field tracts as collateral for a loan to Jean Francois Perrey. In the same year, his wife died, and his death at age 62 followed the next year. With Martin's debt unpaid, the probates indicate that Perrey was compensated out of the estate sale. The barn and lot were sold for $13. 00 and the house - described as "avec souterraint" (finished basement) - was sold for $96.00 to Baptiste Gendron. Throughout the early 19th century, several owners are indicated and during the late 19th century into the early 20th century it was owned by members of the Boismenue family. The Boismenue family of French Canadian descent appear in the records at Cahokia in the 18th century. It was not until 1980, when the Martin/Boismenue House was destined for demolition, that it became evident that the building was of vertical log construction. When workmen began to strip off the modern siding from the front of the structure, the distinctive vertical log timbers of the original building were exposed (Figure 5). Within 24 hours, a local group of citizens was organized with the intention of saving the structure for its historical significance.

Awesome train display. Several trains running at once, one with 48 coal cars! Great for photos…read morewith lots of buildings, trees snd wildlife all over. One very large bridge with thousands of tiny rivets, intricate detail. If you visit, bring some cash to donate.

This club has been around for decades. They teach and pass down the hobby of model railroading the…read morehundreds of folks each month during their open house on first Tuesday of month, 7-8:30. The operate in donated funds. Long bridges great scenery.

Loved visiting the park. The security lines were always quick and easy and the staff was super…read morefriendly. Went to the Arch and had time for a boat ride close by. They don't let you bring soda up the Arch but bottled water is okay. Arch tram was amazing and views as well. It can be a bit cramped so if your claustrophobic or just don't like tight spaces the tram ride up may not be for you. All in all a great experience to enjoy with everyone

We had a great visit to the new museum at the arch and ride up the arch elevators to the top. My…read moredaughter earned her junior rangers badge for the monument and enjoyed her first ride to the top. A St Louisans rite of passage. I'm glad the arch is still alive and well. It's been decades since I've been up. It's a nice view and reminder of my youth.

Glad for the interpretive signage at this small unobtrusive yet deeply historic site. Wish it was…read moreopen today but still it was a thrill for us to walk in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark as they prepared to set off on their exploration of the Louisiana Purchase. They were here 19 Dec 1803 - spring 1804. They met with John Hay, and details of their stay here are in their diary! Museum looks like it has a number of interesting artifacts, and lots of good explanations. But - not open today so -- rats! Nevertheless: 5 awesome history stars

What a great addition to Festus Main Street. Our street is coming alive with new shops and great…read morerestaurants. So proud to be part of the Historical Tanglefoot Association and a small business owner on Main Street. Father Time Clock Shop has been on Main for 33 years and seen a lot of changes. But the last 2 years of progress is incredible.

What a breath of fresh air for the Twin City area. First of many murals in the mix..so come hang…read moreout at the town and see what else you can find.

Eads Bridge is a National Historic Landmark. It was designed by James B. Eads to cross the…read moreMississippi River in 1874. Eads connects railroads across Illinois & Missouri. It was a pioneering engineering feat, the first steel arch bridge, and it remains the oldest bridge on the Mississippi River

Completed in 1874, the Eads Bridge is the oldest surviving bridge across the Mississippi River…read more To scale the mighty Mississippi, the construction of the Eads Bridge required novel engineering feats. It was the one of the first bridges to employ steel as opposed to wrought iron. It's foundation was 100 feet below water level a big challenge in the late 1800s. The 520 foot center arch was the longest span at the time of construction using a cantilever suspension to build, a method which would later be used in the Brooklyn Bridge. The bridge had to be elevated to accommodate the steamboat captains who wanted to keep residents dependent on their services. They thought that it would not be possible to build such a lofty bridge. The City of St. Louis, however, wanted to capture more railroad traffic which necessitated construction of a bridge. Eads earned multiple patents for his innovations during construction. The bridge was dedicated by President Ulysses S. Grant. Testing of safety was done by locomotives. An elephant even walked across the bridge to guarantee pedestrian safety. That must have been a sight to see. The bridge cost $10 million to build. Unfortunately many of the railroads boycotted using it due to the tolls. It was then sold for 20 cents on the dollar. This led to the collapse of the Bank of Missouri. Many were indicted following the largest bank failure in the U.S. at that time. Today, the Eads Bridge is still considered an engineering pioneering landmark. While being constructed The NY Times called it the World's Eighth Wonder. It is quite a remarkable and beautiful historic bridge that still helps people cross the mighty Mississippi River.

This monument is located at the intersection of Gravois Avenue and Morganford Road. This…read moreneighborhood is known as "Little Bosnia" as it houses the heart of the Bosnian immigrant community. The Sebilj is an Ottoman-style wooden fountain in the centre of Baščaršija Square in Sarajevo built by Mehmed Pasha Kukavica in 1753. According to a local legend, visitors who drink water from this fountain will return to Sarajevo someday. I'm not sure if drinking the water from the one here in Saint Louis means that you will return to Saint Louis... or to Sarajevo. As I've not yet visited Sarajevo - no Yelp there! - I don't know if this is a great copy of that original fountain. [Review 17257 overall - 159 in Missouri - 774 of 2022.]

Pretty small town. The type you find with the sole Dairy Queen right smack in the middle of…read morethings. Most of the kids who attend the schools are from Scott so you have a lot of diversity in classes. Natives are usually friendly but sometimes you get a little bit of the standoffish feel when they know you're not from there. I think I'd be mad too if I only had one Dairy Queen in town.

I've lived in Mascoutah for a very long time and I love the small town feel it offers. If you want…read morechaos, move to Fairview Heights! You can't beat the parades, park events, and closeness the community offers.