Literary Influences...

The Walls Do Talk In Ste. Geneviève

While not known as the birthplace of any literary figures, Ste. Geneviève has hosted its fair share of authors. The Green Tree Tavern was once the destination for writers passing through town.

Henri Brackenridge, a 7-year-old boy from Pittsburgh was sent to Ste. Geneviève in 1793 for three years to learn French. He describes Ste. Geneviève in his book Recollections of Person and Places in the West and on his return to Ste. Geneviève in 1811, commented, “A sign on the other side of the Gabarie having caught my eye, I resolved to make for it – in former times private hospitality was the only dependence of the traveler.”

Other authors who enjoyed the “private hospitality” of Ste. Geneviève were Thomas Ashe and John Maley.