All Entries Tagged With: "historic houses"
The Gardens of NoCo: Steve & Gina Siebe
It’s one of FloTown’s most recognizable homes, the Peters House on rue St. Francois, and NOCO contributor Jo Batzer recently took a private tour of the gardens. Here’s her story and accompanying photos…
Sometimes you notice a house while passing and fall in love with it. You imagine owning it or one similar to it. The landmark Peters House in Old Town Florissant is just such a house, and Steve and Gina Siebe have made the dream of owning it a reality. Anyone that participates in the annual Valley of Flowers parade probably remembers passing the picture perfect home along St. Francois and its yard full of family, friends and even a few strangers. The front yard offers a prime parade viewing spot right across from Florissant City Hall.
Despite the busy street in front and surrounding businesses on both sides, just inside the white picket fence is a quiet, private garden that not only compliments the historic house, but closes off the outside world and offers a restful environment for the Siebe family.
Built in 1912 by the Peters Family and approaching its 100th anniversary next year, the home was scheduled to be torn down after being sold to a bank during the 1970’s. Rosemary Davison, deeply involved in Florissant’s historic preservation, saved the home, had it listed on the National Register of Historic Places and ensured its renovation. The Siebes, restoring another Florissant home nearby, had admired the home for years and purchased it soon after the listing in 1983.
Steve Siebe, a horticulturist by trade, is always trying new plants and pushing sun and shade boundaries, but he believes that the right plant in the right place is always the way to go. He notes that he is spoiled with the rich, black soil and that “gardening in Old Town Florissant has always been good!”
His very public front yard is formal with ranks of annual geraniums lining the front walk and sun-loving flower beds surround the lawn areas. Roses, allium and daylilies share beds with annuals, while the white picket fence offers the perfect backdrop.
Although the front is very sunny, the back yard is a romantic, shady retreat that few see. Steve recently installed a flagstone patio area that is the perfect spot to sit and view the mature elm, willow and Japanese maple trees. A princess tree, (Paulownia tomentosa) is tucked into the side yard and its fragrant, purple flowers offer a sweet scent over the entire back yard. White birch and tri-color beech (Fagus sylvatica ‘Purpurea Tricolor’) are also pleasant surprises in the borders. The lush understory is planted with shade loving ferns, hostas, ginger and more shade-loving annuals that provide long seasonal color.
Tasteful, unique statuary dot the garden and porch areas. Even the tool shed that Steve built himself is adorned with garden themed ornaments giving it even more personality. Less is more here, nothing is overdone. The garden (and also the interior of the home) strikes the perfect balance of subtle ornamentation that is hard for many gardeners. The Seibe garden has won several awards from local garden clubs as well as the “Garden of the Month” award given by the city of Florissant.
“There is a small town atmosphere here that is hard to find” according to Steve. “A lot of our good friends live here and close relatives live in the next block. Everything is in close proximity to where we are. We have great restaurants, Historic churches, stores of all kinds all located in a historic district which is also on the National Historic Register.”
Steve and Gina say their family has always enjoyed the Valley of Flowers parade and they take the opportunity to offer a front row seat to extended family and friends amid the quaint, cottage garden setting. “Where we live is always where we have wanted to be.”
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Jo Batzer has lived in North County most of her life and is excited to be a part of the NOCO team. She has worked in the horticulture and florist industries for over 25 years and is the garden leader at Twillman House Community Garden. Jo lives and gardens in the Spanish Lake area with her husband, two sons and two dogs. She is also available for private garden consultations.
Historic one-room schoolhouse for sale in NoCo
Formerly known as the Hyatt Valley School, this 19th-century schoolhouse-turned-private residence is now on the market for a bargain price.
If you know anyone who grew up around the time of the Great Depression, you’ve probably heard some variation of this story. As my 83-year-old grandpa tells it, he used to walk three miles to his humble one-room schoolhouse, through farm fields, over dirt roads and in every kind of weather, often carrying his lunch in his pocket: one hard-boiled egg.
Of course, every time I hear this story the snow gets deeper and the miles get longer. Sometimes my grandpa even has a hole in his shoe. He loves to tell a good story. But I still understand his point….
Going to school during his era (and earlier) was enormously different from the educational system we know today. Back then, one-room schoolhouses were the norm in many American communities, including the rural townships that now comprise North County. Usually home to one female teacher who instructed 10-30 students of all ages in a single classroom, they numbered 190,000 in 1919. Today, only a few hundred remain in use nationwide.
If you want to learn more about some of our local one-room schoolhouses, most of which are long gone, I highly recommend the book History of the Hazelwood School District, which you can find at the library. But if you really want to explore the past, why not go all in and buy a vintage schoolhouse of your own?
Located at 1920 Shackelford, just beyond the Florissant border near Humes Lane, the former Hyatt Valley School is currently for sale…..and it can be yours for just $39,900.
Built around 1870, when this part of NoCo was still a rural community known as St. Ferdinand, the schoolhouse sits on land that was once part of Florissant’s “common fields.” Starting prior to the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, early settlers used and shared this fertile river valley for their farming, and in 1869, one square acre of it was deeded to the local board of education for use as a school.
Shackelford was just a wide dirt path back then, and this tiny schoolhouse was built to be quite a modest building….just a simple classroom for the local farm kids. Constructed from brick, it measured around 800 square feet and was originally heated by a pot belly stove. Not surprisingly, it also had outdoor toilets for decades and no electricity until 1932.
In 1950, after 70 years of use, Hyatt Valley School was closed after annexation by the new Hazelwood School District. It was auctioned off that same year and has been a private residence ever since. Today, I think it’s fair to say it’s just a neat old building in need of some major TLC.
As you can see from this 1911 photograph, the schoolhouse originally had large, arching windows and a massive front doorway. That has all changed. At one point it also had a small foyer (or anteroom) on the front, but that has since been replaced with a wooden front porch.
Inside….I might as well be blunt. Nothing is original. In fact, this place is definitely a victim of “remuddling,” as the editors of This Old House might put it. Tacky updates, poor maintenance…really, there hasn’t been a lot of love shown to this charming old building and its rich history.
But there is potential! For one, the schoolhouse sits on nearly an acre. And despite having frontage on busy Shackelford, it’s an amazingly private and peaceful lot that’s almost fully fenced. Talk about a perfect place for a garden or small farm! Wow!
Another upside: high ceilings and an open floor plan….or at least the bones for one. In my eyes, the schoolhouse is a big, airy loft/studio space just waiting to happen. OK, maybe not so big but definitely airy. It has a great vibe to it, and loads of natural light. Plus, if you buy it by June 30, you’ll be eligible for 3.5% in closing costs from Fannie Mae, since this is a foreclosure property.
Here’s a quick photo tour of the schoolhouse, now a one-bedroom, one-bathroom cottage… If you want more info, check out the official listing or contact realtor Jamie Loftus at (636) 397-7770.
By the way, thanks to reader Liz for the heads up on this story!
War of 1812 Symposium returns to the Bissell House
History buffs will head to the General Daniel Bissell House in Bellefontaine Neighbors this weekend for the 21st annual War of 1812 in the West Symposium. Image by J.Pollack Photography.
In the early 1800s, when North County was still a part of the vast and rugged frontier known as the Louisiana Territory, Fort Belle Fontaine became the westernmost military installation in the United States. A former fur trading post built on land that once belonged to the Sac and Fox tribe, it served as a campsite for Lewis & Clark in 1804 and 1806, and was the regional Army headquarters during the War of 1812.
Daniel Bissell, a Revolutionary War soldier from Connecticut, was the commander at Fort Belle during this period, and he was responsible for constructing 30 new buildings at the site. In 1812, he also built a home for himself several miles south on Bellefontaine Road, and this weekend, the beautifully preserved General Daniel Bissell House is the site of the 21st annual War of 1812 in the West Symposium.
Sponsored by the 1st United States Infantry Clemson Company, St. Louis County Parks and the Friends of Fort Belle Fontaine, this free educational event runs Saturday and Sunday and is open to all. It includes the following lectures and activities:
Saturday, March 26
8:30am – Exhibits on the War of 1812 and Coffee, juice and rolls.
9:00 am – “Re-examining the raid on York, 27 April 1813″ by Rich Barbuto, Lt. Col. Retired, Author of Niagara, 1814 and Long Range Guns, Close Quarter Combat: The Third United States Artillery Regiment in the War of 1812, professor of History Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
10:00 am – “The 1st Infantry regiment at the Sortie of Fort Erie, Upper Canada, 1814″ by David Bennett, War of 1812 Symposium Coordinator, author of several articles on the War of 1812
11:00 am – “Martial Law: Occupied Detroit and the Michigan Territory, 1812-1813″ by Hal Youmans, Colonel Retired, Editor Journal War of 1812
Noon – Box lunch provided for attendees & presenters, courtesy of the Friends of Fort Belle Fontaine. Tour of the General Daniel Bissell home during the break, courtesy of St. Louis Parks.
1:30 pm – “Campaigning with David Murphy, Missouri Militia: The Peoria Indian War of 1813″ by Michael Harris, History Teacher, Editor of The Despatch.
2:30 pm – “The Missouria Indians During the War of 1812″ by Michael Dickey, author of Arrow Rock: Crossroads of the Missouri Frontier and to be released in 2011, The People of the River’s Mouth: In Search of the Missouria Indians. Site administrator Arrow Rock, Missouri, State Historic Site.
3:30 pm – “Anglo-Native Aims and operations in the War of 1812″ by Sandy Antal, Canadian Forces retired, Professor, Ontario, Canada. Author of A Wampum Denied: Procter’s War of 1812
4:30 pm – Symposium Closes. Attendees and Presenters, please join us as we dine at the Oatman House, 6 pm, 501 E. Main Street, Collinsville, Illinois 618-346-2326
Sunday, March 27
8:30 am – Exhibits on the War of 1812, coffee, juice and rolls
9:00 am – “Hoosiers, Ruskies, and The Battle for a National Icon” by Jeffrey Patrick, National Park Ranger, Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield Park, Author of numerous articles on the War of 1812.
10:00 am – “Geology of the War of 1812: Terrain Influences on the Battle of the Sink Hole, MIssouri Territory” by Johnny Bertalott, undergraduate student, Department of Geography, Geology, Missouri State University, Springfield, Missouri
11:00 am – “Recent Archaeology at Fort Madison, Iowa: The Battlefield and “Black Hawk’s Ravine” by John Doershuk, Iowa State Archaeologist
Noon: The 21st Annual Symposium Concludes.
The General Daniel Bissell House is located at 10255 Bellefontaine Road, 63137. For more info on the symposium, contact Dave Bennett at ebclemson@aol.com.
North County Deco Landmark on the market soon…
I don’t know the price yet and the listing isn’t even active, so I won’t divulge the address of this classic North County home… yet. But needless to say, if you’re an architecture buff in St. Louis, particularly a fan of modernism, you are probably familiar with this streamlined gem.
I was actually inside the house about 15 years ago, during an estate sale where I bought a lighted 3D photo of a German Shepherd. Not sure why. All that’s important is that I’m headed back inside again (with the realtor) and I’ll be sure to share the photos with you! From what I saw of the exterior recently, neglect has not been kind to the masonry, but there’s still so much character to work with here. And a good deal of land. More info soon….
