DESCRIPTION: The Museum of the Western Jesuit Missions documents the history of the Jesuits in St. Louis and in their mission to educate the Indians during the country's westward expansion. The Museum is located in the Rock Museum Building, which was once part of
St. Stanislaus Seminary begun in 1823. The Seminary is the oldest Jesuit seminary west of the Mississippi River and until it closed in 1971, it was the longest continually operating Jesuit Novitiate in history.
The Polish-American Cultural Society also has its facilities in the Rock Museum Building.
ADDRESS: 700 Howdershell Rd., Florissant, MO 63031
LOCATION: North St. Louis County
PHONE NUMBER: 314-361-5122
GETTING THERE: From downtown, take I-70 west to I-270 North. Exit onto McDonnell Boulevard North which turns into Howdershell Road. Follow it to 700 Howdershell. The Seminary will be on the right. Follow the drive all the way to the back of the complex.
PHONE NUMBER: 314-837-3525
HOURS: 1-4 p.m. Sundays except Easter and Mother's Day and by appointment. Open April-November.
ADMISSION: Free
* Chalices of four centuries from Belgium, France, Italy, the U. S. and Canada. One dates back to the 1650's.
* A jacket given to Father DeSmet by an Indian tribe. Instead of beadwork, the jacket has inlaid art, a very unusual feature for the time.
* Ancient books by early Christian authors.
* The oldest organ in St. Louis.
* Tools from colonial and federal days.
* Oil paintings, water colors and sand paintings by Native American artists.
* A replica of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.
* The only pair of celestial and terrestrial globes by Wilhelm Blaeu in the U. S.
* A collection of books by 100 alumni authors.
ANNUAL SPECIAL EVENTS: Each March a musical group performs at the Museum and an annual lecture on an interesting aspect of the history of the area is presented each June.
HISTORY: St. Stanislaus Seminary has its origins in 1823 when eight Belgian Jesuit missionaries, encouraged by Bishop Louis W. V. DuBourg of Louisiana Territory and U. S. President James Monroe, built a log residence and Indian school. From that beginning, the Seminary impacted life throughout much of the U. S. east of St. Louis westward to the Rocky Mountains as it educated Indians, established parishes among the immigrants settled in the Missouri River area and opened universities in frontier towns.
In 1840, seminarians built a Greek Revival structure with three-foot thick walls of limestone quarried from the bluffs of the Missouri River. Bricks were made at the seminary and doors and woodwork were constructed from trees on the property. This building now known as the Rock Museum Building, replaced the original log structures. For more than 100 years, the seminary educated and trained new Jesuit priests. At one time it was much like a medieval monastery-totally self sufficient with an orchard, chickens, cattle, wheat fields, vineyards, a butcher shop, creamer and bakery.
The seminary was closed in 1971, and the newer buildings were sold to the Gateway College of Evangelism which still operates there. The Rock Building has been turned into a museum of Jesuit history largely through the efforts of Fr. Claude Heithaus, S. J., professor of classical archeology.
GIFT SHOP: The Museum has for sale a small collection of books relating to the history of the Jesuits and the history of St. Louis.
WHERE TO GET LUNCH: Helen's Hen House in the barn at the John B. Meyers home just west of the Museum off I-270 is an interesting place to have lunch nearby.
WHAT'S NEARBY: The historic Meyers House and Barn are nearby as are Lambert St. Louis International Airport and Bellefontaine and Calvary Cemeteries.
PUBLIC RELATIONS CONTACT: Father William B. Faherty, S. J. or Nancy Merz,
314-758-7146, archives@jesuits-mis.org. ###
For visitor information on St. Louis, call 1-800-916-0040 or visit our web site at http://www.explorestlouis.com/. You'll receive an official St. Louis Visitors Guide containing information on attractions and hotels along with maps and a calendar of special events.
