All Arts and History in Sainte Genevieve

ART COLONY Post Marked! A wall in the local post office was the canvas for a special mural commissioned by the federal government. As post offices were being built around the country in the early 1900s, 10% of the budget was directed towards art. Around the same time, Ste. Geneviève established its own Art Colony similar to the one in Providence, Rhode Island. Members included: Jessie Beard Rickly, Thomas Hart Benton, Aimee Schweig, Miriam McKinnie, Martyl Schweig Langsdorf, Sister Cassiana Marie, Joseph Meert, Bernard E. Peters, E. Oscar Thalinger, and Matthew E. Ziegler Today, Ste. Geneviève has an Art Guild. There are also art galleries, art walks, opportunities to participate in Plein Air, “in the open air” painting, and a variety of art-related activities throughout the year. Read more…

ASL Pewter Foundry At 183 South 3rd Street in Sainte Geneviève, Tom and Patricia Hooper have spent nearly 40 years creating museum-quality pewter pieces using techniques that colonial craftspeople would recognize—casting molten tin alloy into antique molds, spinning flat pewter discs on an 1873 water-powered lathe (now electrified), and welding handles onto tankards with micro-torch precision. This isn’t a demonstration behind ropes; it’s an active studio where you can watch the Hoopers work, commission custom pieces, learn the chemistry and history of the tin-based alloy that graced America’s founding families’ tables, and leave with functional heirlooms made by hands that understand centuries-old craft traditions. The work has earned White House recognition (Pat and Tom met First Lady Laura Bush during George W. Bush’s administration), appeared in HBO’s John Adams miniseries starring Paul Giamatti, and attracted collectors recognizing that genuinely handcrafted American pewter—100% lead-free, made using antique tools and traditional methods—has become exceptionally rare in an era of mass production and overseas manufacturing. One collector testified: “Holding an ASL Pewter piece connects you directly to colonial craftspeople who used similar techniques 250 years ago—the weight, finish, and subtle imperfections prove human hands shaped the metal, not machines.” Pewter: Colonial Middle Ground Read more…

Centre for French Colonial Life At the corner of 2nd and Market Streets, where Ste. Genevieve’s Historic District pulses with the accumulated stories of generations, stands an institution devoted to making the invisible visible: the Centre for French Colonial Life. This modern facility serves as gateway to something increasingly rare in America—authentic, tangible connection to a multicultural past where French colonists, Spanish administrators, African Americans both enslaved and free, Native peoples, and eventually Anglo-Americans negotiated their shared existence within a Mississippi River Valley crossroads. Beginning Your Journey The Centre exists precisely for this moment: to prepare your eyes and mind before stepping into historic homes, to provide context transforming old buildings into living narrative, to answer the questions that emerge when you stand within spaces where real people made real lives. Thoughtfully curated changing exhibits provide depth. A well-stocked gift shop offers books and items extending your understanding beyond these walls. Friendly staff help you navigate not just the Centre but the entire museum campus—orienting you toward questions you didn’t know you carried, connecting you to stories your family might inhabit. Here, you’ll purchase tickets for guided tours through the Bolduc and LeMeilleur Houses. Here, you’ll learn about programs and Read more…

Takes Place The Last Saturday in August. When: 4th Saturday in August Call us at 800-373-7007 or 573-883-7097 A family-friendly, living history event! Observe Civil War camp life and demonstrations of marching, and musket fire. Learn about Ste. Geneviève citizens who fought in the war, some on each side. It is actually being held on Saturday, August 27th. The camp will be set up in the yard of the Felix Valle House State Historic Site. From 11:00am to 11:45am on that day, we will do a re-enactment of the Federal troops taking money from our bank during the early days of the Civil War. The re-enactment will be on the corner of Merchant and Main in front of the Show Me Shop. Read more…

October 22, 2022 “Meet” Dr. Lewis Linn, Missouri’s model Senator, Ferdinand Rozier an early merchant, and Jean Baptiste Valle an early leader of the community. Or “meet” folks portraying the well-to-do, or the not-so-well-to-do, residents of Ste. Geneviève’s history before 1880? At the Déjà vu Spirit Reunion, on the 4th Saturday in October from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., visitors will experience these stories and more as the Foundation for Restoration of Ste. Geneviève hosts its annual event in the historic Memorial Cemetery. Tour the cemetery via lantern light and chat “face-to-face” with friendly spirits clad in traditional dress and enjoy a hauntingly good time. Sponsored by the Foundation for Restoration of Ste. Geneviève as a fundraiser for Memorial Cemetery. Read more…