Name: Jefferson Barracks
Year: 1826
History:
Named for Thomas Jefferson, Jefferson Barracks was established in 1826 under General Henry Atkinson. It was a major U.S. military installation until its closure in 1946. The Barracks was significant in the nineteenth and first half of the twentieth centuries as a collection point for troops and supplies throughout the Mexican War, the Civil War, Indian conflicts, the Spanish-American War, the Philippines War, and World Wars I and II. Jefferson Barracks was also the first U.S. Army Air Corps basic training site. Stephan W. Kearny, President Zachary Taylor, Generals Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, U.S. Grant, William T. Sherman and Philip Sheridan all served at the Barracks.
The Barracks site is now owned by St. Louis County and operated as a county park and recreation center. The Jefferson Barracks Museum includes several historic structures that were part of the ordnance section constructed during the 1850s. They include: the Laborer´s House (1851 - restored ca. 1955) that was constructed to house civilians working at the Ordnance Depot; the Stable (1851); the Powder Magazine (1857) used to store rifles, cannon and ammunition; and the Old Ordnance Room (1851). The Visitor´s Center is located in another stable building (1878), later used to repair tanks. There are a total of 12 Civil War cannon relocated to the property.
People
Atkinson, General Henry
Kearny, Stephen Watts
people
• structures • events
• sources • home
about
historic preservation• new entries• 4 kids only• map it!
This
site was made possible by: the City of St. Louis Planning and Urban Design Agency and
the City of St. Louis Community
Information Network.
This site was funded in part by Federal funds administered by the Missouri State Historical Preservation
Office, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, The National Park Service, and the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Version 1.0