June 19, 2018

Artifacts from found during Poplar Street Bridge construction from the late 1700's colonial St. Louis period.

The CityArchRiver project has been monumental for St. Louis, not only because it is reconnecting the City of St. Louis with the Gateway Arch, but because the discoveries made along the way have connected us with our past.

In the 1930s, 37 blocks of the old town grid were leveled to make space for the Gateway Arch and the park, causing St. Louis to lose some of its history. Written evidence says that even early Colonial St. Louis was a commercial center and that many of its residents were well-off – these discoveries validate the claims. They also show how low on the social ladder you could find people owning affluent products – likely due to the international fur trade. Because of the fur trade, more people, including the less affluent living in small 15 by 15-foot houses, had access to luxury items such as French pottery, as opposed to only the wealthy.

In 2015, while excavating under the Poplar Street Bridge, archaeologists discovered evidence of French settlement in the area from 250 years ago. They found a wood post-and-earth constructed house, which was a commonly used construction technique by French Creoles in the late 1700s. The wood posts are vertical and formed the wall of the French house that was probably built around 1769. The team also found a tin-enameled ceramic that is white with two blue stripes, with part of a yellow floral design. The archeological team believes the ceramic was part of a bowl. 

Mustard bottle imported from Paris, France pre-1849. 

Artifacts recovered from a cistern below the pre-1849 Jefferson House hotel.

In addition, during a different excavation project on the Arch grounds, just north of the new visitor center, archaeologists uncovered a buried cistern filled with 1840s artifacts from the Jefferson House hotel. The artifacts revealed what hotel living was like in St. Louis during the westward migration period. Most people that passed through St. Louis on their journey west stayed in hotels or taverns for a night or two to rest. The artifacts found include:

• English transferware pitcher, plates and punch bowl
• Wine Bottle
• Whiskey Tumbler
• Whiskey Bottle
• Mustard Pot

Those staying in the hotel probably indulged in Midwest wine or whiskey, while enjoying meals served on imported English transferware plates. The meals may have been seasoned with imported French mustard and after dinner they could write letters with the inkwells provided by the hotel. The pitchers and basins were then available for guests to shave and wash up.

These artifacts and more are on display in the new Museum at the Gateway Arch, which will open to the public on July 3. We encourage everyone to take the opportunity to explore the new museum and connect with our history.