Hold that pose St Louis! The 1875 Compton and Dry Pictorial Map

SCHS will visit the exhibit at the Missouri History Museum, "A Walk in 1875 St. Louis" two times in September. Graphic from http://mohistory.org

SCHS will visit the exhibit at the Missouri History Museum, “A Walk in 1875 St. Louis” two times in September, Wednesday the 9th and Saturday the 19th. Graphic from http://mohistory.org

How did they do that? A pictorial map of the whole city with every house, building and tree? From a hot air balloon?

That’s crazy! Why? How? Sort out the answers to these and other questions about the 1875 Compton and Dry pictorial maps of St Louis by seeing the exhibit featuring the maps and the colorful graphics of illustrator Dan Zettwoch.

Visit “A Walk in 1875 St. Louis” with Sappington-Concord Historical Society on two dates in September, with additional dates and times to be listed shortly, including a day just for kids and families.
• Wednesday, September 9, 10:00 am
• Saturday, September 19, 10:00 am
Both tours are the same. Come to either one or both. The choice is yours. There is always more to see in an exhibit like this.

This is a free tour, but please RSVP by emailing schs.webmanager@gmail.com or by calling SCHS President Stephen Hanpeter at 314-918-1617.

Car pool: If you want to arrange to drive with someone, the meeting place is St Lucas UCC church at 11735 Denny Road, St. Louis, Missouri, 63126. Park at the far end of the east parking lot. That is the end toward the fields and away from other cars that are there for church business. Be there at 9:00 am to get driving partners, with departure at 9:15 am. See map to St Lucas UCC church for meeting location.

Driving yourself: If you drive directly to the museum, the meeting time is 10:00 am. Arrive before 10:00 am for the best parking. Please meet the rest of the group inside the museum under the statue of Thomas Jefferson near the north entrance at 10:00 am. We can get a group photo there and go in together to the exhibit. Of course you can go through with the group, or at your own pace. We will not use a docent. You may leave when you like.

Destination: Missouri History Museum in Forest Park at 5700 Lindell Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63112. Some people might better know the museum as the Jefferson Memorial. The museum is on the north side of Forest Park. Parking is limited at the museum, so arrive early to get a good spot. There is additional parking on Lagoon Drive, or in the Muny Opera parking lots. Parking is free.

Meeting spot: We will meet inside the museum under the statue of Thomas Jefferson near the north entrance at 10:00 am.

Fee: Entrance to the museum and the exhibit are both free.

The exhibit, “A Walk in 1875 St. Louis,” uses maps, graphics, objects and the recorded word to show life in 1875 St. Louis;
• The back bone of the display is the pictorial maps of 1875 St. Louis by Compton and Dry.
• The color, the flesh and the life of the exhibit is provided by the illustrations of every day life and people from 1875 St. Louis by Dan Zettwoch. They are presented in a graphic novel style, but on the scale of large graffiti totally covering the walls of the exhibit from the floor to way above the heads of the visitors.
• Objects from the museum’s collections round out the exhibit. They might be said to be the clothing and the jewelry decorating the backbone of maps and flesh of the graphics of the exhibit.
The maps,graphics and objects flow together tightly to tell the story of 1875 St. Louis
• Audio recordings bring to life the reports and reflections of people living in 1875.

What can be said about “A Walk in 1875 St. Louis?”
It’s eye-opening! It’s spectacular! It’s funny! It’s sad! You have to see it! You’ll want to tell your friends about it. It’s “velocipede?!”