All Arts and History in Missouri

Sassafras Creek Originals – Where Early American Life Directory Craftsmen Create Heirloom Quality in an 1850 General Store At 311 St. Marys Road in the heart of Sainte Geneviève’s historic district, Sassafras Creek Originals occupies the circa 1850 Brooks House—a two-story brick building transformed into colonial-era general store where owner Kandye Mahurin (selected for Early American Life Magazine’s Directory of Traditional American Craftsmen eight consecutive years) and fellow Directory-juried artisans showcase hand-crafted Colonial/Primitive Early American folk art that meets museum-curator standards for authenticity, scholarship, and period-appropriate materials and techniques. This isn’t a shop selling colonial-style imports from overseas factories—Sassafras Creek’s rigorous quality standard requires that at least 75% of merchandise is American-made, with vendors carefully selected from the prestigious Early American Life Directory, ensuring every game board, bandbox, redware plate, woven coverlet, piece of tinware, and folk art creation represents genuine traditional craftsmanship using period materials, tools, and techniques that curators at Colonial Williamsburg, living history museums, and motion picture producers rely on for authentic period pieces. Step inside rooms arranged like an old-time general store and discover heirloom-quality handcrafts preserving American artisan traditions rapidly disappearing in the digital age. The Early American Life Directory: Museum-Quality Standard Sassafras Creek Originals’ Read more…

Sassafras Creek Originals is hosting Pioneer Days on the weekend of May 6 and May 7, 2023. You will see feature demonstrations by craft vendors in keeping with the store’s colonial-era theme. Food and refreshments will be available, and live music performances are planned for the weekend. Read more…

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…