Maplewood Historian Kept Us Up To Date in 2012

We're happy to have Doug Houser blogging on Maplewood-Brentwood Patch, which he began doing in 2012.

He comments on any of the hundreds of historical photos he has access to in his blogs, all of which are well read.

Houser is also author of Maplewood, Missouri The First 100 Years 1908-2008, which can be purchased at Maplewood City Hall or Scheidt Hardware.

Here's a few of Houser's posts from the year, beginning with his description of a cave beneath Maplewood and Brentwood.

Sutton's Cave in Maplewood, June 25

• Houser tells about a cave with a heavy manhole cover in Maplewood, but doesn't tell where it is. The article sparked lots of currosity and speculation in the comments.

, April 24

• Manchester Road, through Maplewood, is the first alignment of Route 66. Maplewood grew up at the intersection of Route 66 and Big Bend Boulevard.

Summer is Here and the Maplewood Pool is Open for Business, May 27

• The Maplewood pool and building was built from 1936 to 1938 by the WPA (Works Progress Administration), Houser tells us in this blog. The bath house is now the Maplewood Public Library.

Bartold's Grove in Maplewood was the place to spend those hot summer nights, July 1

• A roadhouse by a hill, which is now the location of Sunnen Corporation, was a poplular stop for travelers in the 1800s.

, Sept. 10

• Houser writes of some of the Maplewood businesses that have been serving the community for many years, including Scheidt Hardware, Saratoga Lanes and Empire Supply.

The Vanished Train Stations of Maplewood, Oct. 14

• Commuter train stations once connected Maplewood with downtown St. Louis. The only evidence remaining is a stone staircase at Marshall and Arbor avenues.