Sometimes I stop and marvel at the fact that I live just a few steps away from a former wagon trail. Manchester Road was once known as The Manchester Trail. It carried people from all walks of life directly through the middle of Brentwood on their way to St. Joseph, MO, and other westward destinations.

With a town like Brentwood and it’s storied past, every square inch can tell a story. When I pass buildings in Brentwood, sometimes my mind wanders to what they used to be and who used to live and work there. I decided to choose a few spots that I thought were interesting.

Brentwood Fire Department

The newest addition to the Brentwood landscape is the fire department. Located at 8756 Eulalie Avenue, it is a state of the art facility that will serve Brentwood for years to come. Take a look at the three photos we’ve included: the earliest depicts the volunteer fire truck from 1920, the fire station previous to today's, located on Brentwood Boulevard, and a photo of the newest fire station.

8212 Manchester Road

Now home to Sports Attic, this little building has quite a history. The Engelhard family opened a restaurant here in the 1920s with its home next to it. This building has had many proprietors since. It was once known as Ruby’s Tavern. Another name was the Brentwood Inn. On any business day, people would come from near and far for lunch because the tavern had the best steam table filled with everyone’s idea of comfort food. Today, it’s known as the Sports Attic, where cold beer is served daily. If you look closely at the side of the building, you’ll see “Ruby’s” above the Sport’s Attic logo as an homage to its past.

8825 Manchester Road

This location has an interesting backstory as well. It started off as the home of Brentwood Bank in the 1920s. In the 1940s, it housed Hounsom’s Pharmacy. Today, it is the home of a day care center. It looks completely different than in previous years, but still has the character of a sturdy old building.

2300 Block of Brentwood Blvd.

This stretch of Brentwood was once known as the “heart” of our fair town because of all the mom-and-pop shops located there that were once required for everyday living. As the photo depicts, a shoe repair store, a barber shop and Baumann’s Meats was once located on this block. Today, this block is a little barren, having a rug store that recently closed, a printing store and a lawyer’s office.

So, the next time you jump in your car and head west on Manchester Road, pause for a moment. Maybe you’ll be able to hear the clattering sounds of the “prairie schooners” that once used the same road you’re driving on today to head west, down the Manchester Trail to a new life.