Jefferson Barracks Park History
A brief history, and its transition to a park
Jefferson Barracks was established as a military post in 1826 when it was determined that Fort Bellefontaine (320 acres) was considered to be unhealthy and unsatisfactory as a military post. The town of Carondelet located south of St. Louis was anxious to attract business and offered a portion of the town's common fields to the military. On October 23, 1826, the war department declared the post to be named Jefferson Barracks in honor of President Thomas Jefferson who died six days prior to the founding of the post on July 10, 1826. The location of Jefferson Barracks near St. Louis and on the Mississippi River proved to be an excellent site for a permanent military post spanning 1,702 acres.
Few military installations have been as important to the United States as Jefferson Barracks. Men and women from the post have served in every major war since 1832. The history of Jefferson Barracks is currently displayed at the Powder Magazine Museum.
Jefferson Barracks
Jefferson Barracks established in 1826 served as a major United States military installation until 1946 and played an important role in the Unites States westward expansion. During its early years, Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, and William T. Sherman were but a few of the famous U.S. Army officers who served at the post. Jefferson Barracks became the gathering point for troops and supplies bound for service in the Seminole Wars, the Mexican War, the Civil War, various Indian wars in the West, the Spanish-American War and World Wars I and II. Jefferson Barracks also served as the first basic training site for the U.S. Army Air Corps during WWII.
Today it hosts the Missouri Air National Guard's 131st Bomb Wing, along with the Missouri Army National Guard, U.S. Army Reserve and Defense Intelligence Units.
Jefferson Barracks has several buildings remaining from the 1800s, such as a Laborer’s House, Old Ordnance Room and Ordnance Stable built in 1851, a second ordnance building constructed in 1857 (today referred to as the Powder Magazine) and a barn originally built for the barracks ordnance department in 1878. The original ordnance barn wooden structure was eventually reduced to just a stone basement and the current frame superstructure was built between 2000 to 2003 to serve as a Visitor Center for the park. The two ordnance buildings are now used as free museums and open to the public Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 4 pm.
Jefferson Barracks Park
Jefferson Barracks was deactivated in 1946. Beginning in 1950, the Federal Government transferred tracts of land to St. Louis County to operate as a historical park. In 1971 Jefferson Barracks Park, the adjacent active military base and several other adjoining land parcels were placed on the National Register of Historic Places. All the buildings owned by the County in this district are considered to be historically significant.
Jefferson Barracks is one of the most heavily used parks in the county system. In addition to being home to the 42,000 sq ft. Pavilion at Lemay recreation center, the park hosts concerts, an annual Fourth of July holiday fireworks display, Civil War and World War II reenactments, weddings, disc golf leagues, Corkball tournaments, museum exhibitions, 3 miles of paved walking trails and access to the Mississippi Greenway from Jefferson Barracks to River des Peres and many other amenities for nature and recreation enthusiasts. Jefferson Barracks Park is located in south St. Louis County on bluffs overlooking the Mississippi river.