All Arts and History

Schultz Antiques – Where 42 Years of Family Expertise, Custom Refinishing, and Carefully Curated Collections Meet Southeast Missouri’s Most Trusted Antique Destination Some antique stores are weekend hobbyists selling grandmother’s attic contents. Others are impersonal warehouses where dealers rent booths and merchandise turns over so rapidly that no one actually knows what they’re selling. Schultz Antiques is neither. This is family-owned operation that’s served Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois for 42 years—four decades of building expertise, cultivating relationships with collectors and estate sales, developing refinishing skills that transform damaged pieces into functional furniture, and establishing reputation that makes “call Schultz” the automatic response when locals need antiques appraised, estates liquidated, or vintage furniture restored to usable condition. Located at 24534 US Highway 61 in St. Mary, Missouri (just north of Sainte Geneviève), Schultz Antiques occupies the sweet spot between serious antique dealing and accessible family business. The owners know their inventory—not just what’s in stock, but where pieces came from, what restoration work they’ve received, why particular items are priced as they are, and which customers have been asking for exactly this style of hutch or that specific type of table. The wide range of antiques, collectibles, and furniture means Read more…

2019 Ste. Geneviève was featured in this USA Today gallery article about its architectural and historical significance. Read the article HERE. Read more…

Ste. Geneviève Welcome Center 66 South Main Street Ste. Geneviève, MO 63670 Call us at 573-883-7097 or 800-373-7007 For several summers in the 1930s, an Art Colony located in Ste. Geneviève conducted a Summer School of Art. Instead of painting rolling hills or flowers, the artists portrayed the human condition and Depression-era events. Information about the school and some of its creations are on display at the Ste. Geneviève Welcome Center. Gravediggers, portraits, and lime kiln workers are depicted. The Summer School instructors include Thomas Hart Benton, Fred E. Conway, Joseph James Jones, Miriam McKinnie, Joseph John Paul Meert, Jesse Beard Rickly, Aimee Goldstone Schweig, Martyl Schweig, E. Oscar Thalinger, Joseph Paul Vorst, and Matthew E. Ziegler. Another display of Art Colony works can be viewed in the stone building behind the Shaw house. Read more…

Ste. Genevieve Catholic Church At 49 DuBourg Place in downtown Ste. Genevieve, the current brick Ste. Genevieve Catholic Church is the third Catholic church erected on this block—a physical manifestation of how faith, community need, and architectural ambition evolve across generations. The Catholic faith first came to the Ste. Genevieve area when Jacques Marquette traveled down the Mississippi River in 1673, with the parish officially started in January 1759 by Jesuits who came from Quebec. But the building you enter today tells a more complex story: the original log church was moved here in 1794 as Ste. Genevieve relocated to higher ground due to flooding, a stone structure replaced that log building and was consecrated in 1837, and as the congregation grew, a larger church was required, with a brick building constructed around the stone one. The result is a Gothic Revival structure designed by Francis Xavier Weiss, a legendary pastor who served the parish from 1865 until 1900, representing commitment to both architectural excellence and spiritual growth that deserves encounter on its own terms. Three Churches in One: Visible Faith Across Two Centuries The building embodies spiritual and practical history simultaneously. When the brick church was completed, the stone Read more…

Milice Encampment – 18th-Century Living History in Sainte Geneviève Twice yearly—typically the second Saturday in April and October—the grounds of the LeMeilleur House transform into working 18th-century military camp as the Ste. Geneviève Militia, Inc. hosts the Milice Encampment, bringing colonial-era French and Spanish frontier life to vivid reality. This free, family-friendly living history event (9:30 AM-4 PM) operated by the Centre for French Colonial Life invites visitors of all ages to explore authentic demonstrations including gun building, chair seat weaving, spinning, and leatherwork, while children participate in hands-on period crafts and activities. Experience direct, engaging immersion in the skills and traditions that shaped early Sainte Geneviève—no ropes, no glass cases, no museum distance. Just artisans working in period dress, demonstrating 18th-century craftsmanship, answering questions, and welcoming curiosity about daily life when French colonists and Spanish administrators defended Missouri’s oldest settlement. Practical Information Event Name: Milice Encampment Schedule: Twice yearly, typically second Saturday in April and October Time: 9:30 AM – 4 PM Location: LeMeilleur House grounds, Centre for French Colonial Life, Sainte Geneviève, Missouri Host: Ste. Geneviève Militia, Inc. Operator: Centre for French Colonial Life Admission: Free Age Appropriateness: All ages welcome; hands-on children’s activities available Demonstrations: Gun building, Read more…