German Owned Business District of St. Louis
Final Object Profile
Imagine strolling down a cobblestone-lined St. Louis street in 1875, surrounded by the sound of horse hooves hitting the stones and the busy hum of business being conducted all over, in German of course! The image I chose as my object from The State Historical Society of Missouri’s archive was taken by an unidentified photographer who seemed to capture the bustle of busy German businesses perfectly on the street that day in 1875. Many different wagons and carts pulled by horses coming or going to be filled with the wholesale goods which supply the buildings on the street. Some of the businesses visible in the picture reveal a German community, for example, Krenning Grocer Co.- importers of teas and coffee, is an obvious last name of German descent and the largest building visible in the photograph. This photo transports the viewer back to the late 19th century streets of St. Louis, lined with German businessmen and merchants, all hurrying along for success in their new home.
This photograph was uploaded to The State Historical Society of Missouri’s archive in the “Mit Feder Und Hammer: The German Experience in St. Louis Collection” to help readers understand what the German settlement in St. Louis looked like during the 19th century (“German Owned Businesses in St. Louis, Mo, C. 1875”). While the photographer of the image is unknown, the photo was likely used in a newspaper issue or for advertisement of a business, such as the Krenning Grocer Co. Some of the other businesses pictured in the photograph are “St. Louis Poultry and Game Co.”, “Gelbosche Wholesale Produce Co.” and “McLain Bros. Commission Merchants”. All of these businesses inspired industrial growth for new citizens of Missouri, often sourcing restaurants and other businesses.
So, what was going on with the German community of St. Louis at the time? Dr. Gottfried Duden was identified as being responsible for the influx of Germans to the Midwest, Missouri and especially St. Louis, but a noticeable concentration of them did not occur until the late 1830’s (Stadler 1965, 16–17). When the first group of Germans, known as the Berlin Society, began emigrating to St. Louis in 1832, they were all mostly well-educated and wealthy but still struggled with getting acquainted once the journey had been made. Duden’s publication of letters about the land and political freedom of the United States gave many Germans a false sense of security about their outlook once they got there. There was a lot of hard work to do, especially for the first group of Germans to do to make it to a new area and settle, while keeping their culture close in view and highlighted as an important part of life. As more groups of Germans made it over to the United States and began concentrating within a few small areas of the Midwest, there was a need for more space and open farmland, so away from St. Louis they moved for more opportunities.
One of the most well-known German areas of St. Louis city in 1875 that this picture could have been taken was Hyde Park. With a rich Catholic presence and heavy German influence, the Hyde Park Neighborhood began flourishing in the 1840’s with the largest influx of German immigrants (DeWitt 2021). German’s settling at this time preferred the city to the country farmland because of the cheap prices and proximity to the business market. There were several success stories to come from the immigration of Germans to St. Louis, most notably, Anheuser-Busch Brewing Co., but this is not surprising given that “of eighty-eight thousand Germans in the state, over half lived in St. Louis,” (Belanger 2018, 34). The success of the German population and their businesses in St. Louis depended on their willingness to learn a new way of life while still staying true to their own culture, which, in my opinion, the Germans did very well.
The immigration experience for a German coming to St. Louis around the late 19th century was one of excitement and opportunity. The photo I have analyzed from the German experience collection helps to show the amazing growth and prosperity of German businesses in St. Louis at the time. Germans were considered to be some of America’s most loyal citizens once assimilating because success was so plentiful in the states (Kupsky 2009, 215). The support of the German population helped America to grow and flourish with the melting pot of cultures to come. The United States would not be what it is today without the presence of so many different cultures that have created communities for themselves here as we can see the German community in it’s early stages of growth in the picture.
1. Belanger, Elizabeth. “‘A Perfect Nuisance’: Working-Class Women and Neighborhood Development in Civil War St. Louis.” Journal of the Civil War Era 8, no. 1 (2018): 32–63. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26381502.
3. DeWitt, Petra. “St. Louis Germans, 1820–1910.” Articles: Show Me Missouri. October 5, 2021. https://showmemo.org/people/st-louis-germans-1820-1910/.
4. “German Owned Businesses in St. Louis, Mo, C.1875” The German Experience in St. Louis Collection, The State Historical Society of Missouri, 1875. https://digital.shsmo.org/digital/collection/imc/id/62137/rec/3
5. Kupsky, Gregory. “’We, Too, Are Still Here’: German Americans in St. Louis, 1919–1941.” Missouri Historical Review, Volume no. 103, Issue 4, July 2009: p. 212–225. https://digital.shsmo.org/digital/collection/mhr/id/56489/rec/418?_gl=1*1s8b7lv*_ga*MzMzMzIwNTguMTY3NTk2MjIxMQ..*_ga_B5NXL6MKLP*MTY3NjU2Njk2MC4zLjEuMTY3NjU2NzI1My4wLjAuMA.
6. Stadler, Ernst A. “THE GERMAN SETTLEMENT OF ST. LOUIS.” Midcontinent American Studies Journal 6, no. 1 (1965): 16–29. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40640533.
