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 …

With all the talk these days about immigration and temporary workers, I wanted to share how this isn't a new phenomenon. Back in the late 1800s, right here in Brentwood, the same issues were discussed. According to an interview with elder Brentwood resident Mary Hilke, published in the September 1994 edition of The Pulse, many laborers from Mexico came to work in Brentwood. When the streetcars came to Maddenville in 1892, the town started to expand quite a bit. A quarry, located where Hanley Industrial Court is now, was a major employer of immigrant workers. She said the Public Service …

So what makes the Lustron house so special? As we discussed last week, it was considered the cutting edge of architecture back in the 1950s. Some still consider it an architectural marvel. The city of Webster Groves is working to make all of its Lustron houses historic landmarks. Some of the more unusual features include: Some considered the use of radiant heating in the ceiling as its major design flaw. According to Tom Bakersmith, a local retired mapmaker and considered the St. Louis expert on Lustron houses, there was an unusual feature to the houses that did not survive. It was a unique …

Lustron houses played a significant role in the development of architectural design in post-WWII Brentwood. Scattered across the St. Louis area, Lustron houses are made of enamel coated steel (some call it “painted” steel) inside and out. Next week we’ll explore the Lustron house design and its local ties to Brentwood, but let's first look at the background of the Lustron housing boom, according to a Dec. 12, 2006 article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and a Society of Architectural Historians newsletter from summer 2003: It was born out of the necessity of post-World War II housing …

The incoporation of Brentwood wasn't easy. According to one account published in the September 1994 edition of The Pulse, the city's incorporation was a race against time. Residents made a couple attempts at incorporation: The first was a petition to incorporate on September 16, 1907. Residents wanted to establish their own school district because they felt the Rock Hill School District was overcrowded. It was rejected by the county court on May 11, 1908. The second was a response to a move made by our neighbors in Maplewood. They wanted to annex a portion of the current day Brentwood. This …

It's always interesting to look back at how certain places in Brentwood were perceived at different times. In looking at some of the landmarks in and near Brentwood, sometimes they stay the same and sometimes they don't. Take a moment to read some of the recollections of elder Brentwood residents who came before us and how they saw some familiar places we know today: Carl's: Did you know Carl's was once called a different name? In the September 1994 edition of The Pulse, Rosemarie Kornfeld wrote, "I remember when there was a small building on the southeast corner of Manchester and Brentwood …

Commercialism is all around Brentwood during the holiday season. The Brentwood Promenade and Brentwood Square are bustling with people ready to soak up the commercial Christmas vibes and get their shopping done in style. But let's take a more traditional look at the holiday season by observing how the holiday was celebrated in the past. The first publicly recorded community celebration was in 1929. Held in front of the former City Hall at 1115 North and South road (now Brentwood Boulevard), each child was given a bag of candy from Santa Claus. It looks very festive with an abundance of …

As promised last week, I thought it would be fun to take a look at some of the unusual historical aspects of Brentwood. There are colorful time periods and lots of history in this city of ours, and I'd like to illuminate just a few interesting observations. I grabbed most of this information from the 75th anniversary edition of The Pulse, where Brentwood High School students interviewed older Brentwood residents. The rest is from The Brentwood Historical Society. How did it all start? In the 1870s, ten guys were the major property-owners in the area. They included doctors, farmers, quarry …

Picture a tidy little house on Rosalie Avenue in Brentwood. The Barlow House, as it's called, is the home to the Brentwood Historical Society. As I entered, it was a veritable beehive of activity. Plenty of folks—young and old—were busy cataloging, clipping and saving Brentwood's past, one piece at a time. Since 1985, the organization has been collecting photos, papers, articles, memorabilia and oral histories to keep the past alive for those who come after us. The collection includes numerous items that are available to those who come to see them. It has survived over four moves and …

Welcome to Brentwood Beginnings, a new column where I will examine how Brentwood's colorful past will affect its bright future. At the debut of this column, I thought it would be a good idea to explain what we're trying to do with the contents in the subsequent articles you'll find here about Brentwood. As a long-time "Brentwoodian" (is that what we are?), I find it comforting to know as much as I can about where we've been and what we've accomplished. In future articles, we'll be using the treasure trove of information from the Brentwood Historical Society to bring Brentwood's past to life. …