A Free Pass to St. Louis' Past

 

A woman kneels in prayer at the Basilica of St. Louis, King of France (Old Cathedral), circa 1940.

By Steve Erdelen

 

Local history, in this instant age of technology, can only be described as a pizza topped with irony.  Why? Because there is an almost insatiable appetite for nostalgia and legacy these days and once it's front of us, we tend to gobble it up and really enjoy it.  The ironic part is that it's pretty rare for people to actually look up the number and place an order for local history, not to mention that very few historical societies are prepared to box it up and deliver it... especially online.  A quick check of three major municipalities with established historical societies in North/Northwest St. Louis County, produced three Web Sites that served up slices of history in very small portions, but no big history pizzas were available for our local consumption.

The Old Courthouse, 1934



I suppose that's because historical societies are in no particular hurry to jump on the high-tech bandwagon, or maybe it's because they are member-based organizations holding privileged information, or maybe because... well, who knows?  The only thing I know for sure is that the ravenous craving for local history is not currently being satisfied in these parts.  I know this because I administrate a couple of fairly large Facebook Groups; The Rock Road Reporter and  I hung out at the fountain at Northwest Plaza as a teenager.  I know that when someone posts a vintage picture of a local building or a popular old attraction, on one of the Group pages, the comments start pouring in and people get excited.  "My dad used to work at that store and it was owned by the Bakers, who lived just two streets over!"  Two comments later, someone will say "Mary Baker was the first girl I ever kissed," and it just evolves from there.  These postings are fresh, they're immediate and they give people an opportunity to interact about something that they have in common.

USS Admiral, cruising the St. Louis riverfront in 1940.

So why is it so difficult to access historical photos and documents?  Don't historical societies realize that we want the local historical data right now and that we'd like to discuss it on Facebook right now?  Apparently not.  However, in  their defense... even if the respective historical organizations did want to actively participate in social media, they would have to climb a gigantic wall of copyright restrictions that may be placed on the photographs and documents in their possession.  It's a tough problem, because photographers and writers need to be paid for and credited for their work.  Unless the works are released into the "public domain," organizations and individuals have no right to publish them without explicit permission... and "publishing" would include Facebook.

Henry Shaw House 1940

Okay then... how does one present great historical photographs and documents of a local nature without spending the rest of their life getting permission?  Believe it or not, it's fairly easy to find thousands of "unrestricted" historical photographs at the Library of Congress' Web Site.  There are generally three main reasons why a photograph, for example, would be declared unrestricted, or in the public domain; 1. The photograph is no longer protected by copyright law, because it is over 90 years old. 2. The photograph was taken by a person who was employed by the United States Government, in any capacity... which would include all civil servants and military personnel, but of course, would not include classified documents.  3. A photographer has donated a collection of work to the Library of Congress with the stipulation that it be released into the public domain. 

St. Stanislaus Seminary, in Florissant, circa 1936.

The photos above and below have all been obtained from the Library of Congress and have been released into the public domain, because the respective photographers were employed by the government to document historical buildings nationwide.  It takes some patience and determination to work through the vast number of files that the Library of Congress has scanned and made available online, but it's worth the effort when you can find some local historical treasures that you own!  Enjoy the look back and find your own treasures at www.loc.gov.

St. Louis Streetscape, 1936.

Hobo dwellings, St. Louis, 1936.

The "Old Rock House" at Wharf and Chestnut Streets, circa 1934.

Riverfront buildings that were demolished to build Memorial Drive, circa 1940.

Taxi cab driver on St. Louis riverfront, circa 1936.

 

Mail boxes for squatters on St. Louis riverfront, 1936.

Mississippi River Steamers, 1936.

Tower Grove Park, 1883.

North Grand Water Tower, 1940.

Ladies and gentleman, your 1911 St. Louis Cardinals.