St. Louis has long been the last stop before heading into the expansiveness that is the West. It started as a trading post for the French in 1763. This was the way it was when Lewis and Clark first made their way out of the city to explore the west. It was that way when Lewis and Clark came back to settle after their expedition. And it was that way when a young British man named Henry Shaw came to town on a journey up from New Orleans.
Shaw came and knew it was a great place to set up shop, so he did. He started a very successful hardware store at the age of 19 in 1819. Shaw had goods shipped from England and the growing city bought his supplies, as well as the many pioneers heading west to set up a homestead, figuring St. Louis as the Gateway. Back then there wasn't much beyond it. Shaw became one of the largest landowners in Missouri and was able to retire by the age of 40. He moved to the area of St. Louis, which would eventually be colloquially known as Shaw's Garden. He had George Barnett, The Dean of St. Louis Architecture, design the Tower Grove House that was to become Shaw's home. The home is now on the site of the Missouri Botanical Garden.
Adjacent to the magnificent gardens is Tower Grove Park, also donated to the city of St. Louis by Henry Shaw in 1866. The 289-acre Tower Grove Park is an "internationally recognized Arboretum for its diversity of trees," David Lauber, Developmental Director of Tower Grove Park, says. "The Park is home to over 6,800 trees made up of 325 different taxa, including a white mulberry planted by Henry Shaw," according to the website. "When Shaw signed the deed to the city of St. Louis, he put in there the stipulation that it must be operated by a board of commissioners and the city has to give at least some revenue to the park," Lauber says. Lauber says the city pays for about 40% of the parks operating costs and the rest comes from a "generous group of friends and individuals, as well as revenues from rentals of the facilities."
Tower Grove Park at Sailboat Pond with Castle Ruins. [Photo/Parker Botanical]
Shaw donated the park because he felt public parks were important, "not only as ornaments to a great city, but as conducive to the health and happiness of its inhabitants and to the advancement of refinement and culture," he was quoted stating. The park was created in the gardenesque style by James Gurney, who had been the head of the aquatic plants section of Kew Gardens in London before taking on Tower Grove. A gardenesque park means just like it sounds - a park made in the style of a garden, but still meant to be a place of recreation and relaxation.
The collaborative atmosphere is felt throughout the park. It is a place to relax and enjoy the many different activities and nature inside it. The park has an awesome interactive map on the website where one can load up different features, notably the 6,800 trees in the park and can get information about every single tree, with background information and features about each one. It is mobile friendly, therefore guests are capable of tracking their location to be used on a walk or drive through the park.
There are also many statues and busts in the park. There are statues of Alexander Von Humboldt, Shakespeare, Columbus, as well as busts of composers like Mozart and Beethoven. These were all commissioned in the late 1800s, some by Shaw himself. There are 11 Victorian style pavilions in the park that are available for viewing and rental.
The foremost spot to see is the Fountain Pond and Ruins being the centric location. What one sees is a fountain of broken stone, artistically arranged and surrounded by huge Bald Cypress trees and a backdrop of stone block "ruins" erected in 1873. The stone is actually rubble from the old Lindell Hotel, which burned to the ground in 1867. After the fire, Shaw saw potential for the limestone and had it brought to the park where he and Gurney designed the fountain. A little walk away is the Lily Ponds, which showcase water lily and flower displays put on by the staff. Behind the ponds is the Piper Palm House, which was built in 1878, and is the oldest standing greenhouse west of the Mississippi River.
Though every season is a great time to see the park, the best time is the spring, summer and fall. Rightly so, the summer is filled with festivals. There is also a wild bird viewing garden in the northwestern section of the park. Over 200 species of birds visit the park, with peaks during migratory times in the spring and fall. “Every Saturday morning and Tuesday night, there is a farmer’s market that’s visited by thousands,” Lauber says. There are also several free nights with the St. Louis Symphony, as well as Monday nights with a Concert Band at one of the pavilions.
So next time you are coming to St. Louis or passing by on your way out west, stop by Tower Grove Park and check it out. Forest Park is huge and well-known, the Botanical Gardens are one of the oldest in the nation, but Tower Grove Park is a quiet gem with plenty to do and see in the gateway to the west.
Adventure, Destinations, Missouri, Nature, Open Road, Parks & Recreation