Jewish Readings | Jewish Websites | Lewis Place Recommended Readings
Lewis Place Websites | Old North St. Louis Readings
Old North Websites | Articles from Gateway Heritage

The History of Jewish Life in St. Louis
Recommended Readings

Abrams, Z. The Book of Memories. New York, 1932. Invaluable resource for information on institutions of the St. Louis Jewish community of the early twentieth century.

Bronsen, Rosalind Mael. B’nai Amoona for all Generations. St. Louis: Congregation B’nai Amoona, 1982. Written in honor of the congregation’s centennial, a description of the struggles and successes in the history of B’nai Amoona.

Ehrlich, Walter. “The First Jews of St. Louis.” Missouri Historical Review (October 1988):57–76. Details the early Jews of St. Louis, the Philipson brothers.

Ehrlich,Walter. “Origins of the Jewish Community of St. Louis.” American Jewish History(June 1988): 507–529. The early history of the community, beginning in 1807 but particularly describing the period from 1836 to 1842.

*Ehrlich,Walter. Zion in the Valley: The Jewish Community of St. Louis. Columbia, Mo.: University of Missouri Press, 2002. The only published complete history of the St. Louis Jewish Community. Volume 1 documents the period from the beginning of the community, in 1807, through 1907; volume 2 continues the story through the twentieth century.

*Feldman, Jody S. Faith, Family, Future: Shaare Zedek, the First Hundred Years, 1905–2005. St. Louis: Shaare Zedek Synagogue, 2005. Written in honor of the congregation’s centennial; the text and pictures depict the lives of the people who were a part of Shaare Zedek.

Fischlowitz, Ruth. The “Y” Story: A Chronicle of the Jewish Center Movement in St. Louis. N.p.: Unknown,1964. A history of the Jewish Community Center from 1880 through 1964.

Hamilton, Esley. The Cemeteries of University City. St. Louis: Historical Society of University City, 1998. Describes the Jewish cemeteries in University City.

*James-Chakraborty, Kathleen. In the Spirit of Our Age. Eric Mendelsohn's B'nai Amoona Synagogue. Missouri Historical Society Press, 2000.

Isserman, Ruth. The Tercentenary Monument in Forest Park. N.p.: Unknown, N.d. The history and rededication of the monument—sculpture and flagpole—at the entrance to Forest Park, at Kingshighway and Lindell Boulevard.

Losos, Joseph O. From Leffingwell to Spoede: Highlights in the History of Temple Israel. St. Louis: Temple Israel, 1977. Material on the major events in the history of Temple Israel.

Makovsky, Donald I. The Philipsons: the First Jewish Settlers in St. Louis. St. Louis: Judaism Sesquicentennial Committee, 1958. A pamphlet, detailing the history of the Philipson brothers, published for the 150th anniversary of the arrival of Jewish settlers in St. Louis.

Rosenkranz, Samuel, ed. Centennial History of Congregation Temple Israel, 1886–1986. St. Louis: Temple Israel, 1986.

Sale, Samuel. “Jews and Judaism.” Encyclopedia of the History of St. Louis: A Compendium of History and Biography for Ready Reference (four volumes). Edited by William Hyde and Howard L. Conrad. New York: Southern History Co., 1899. A two-page entry on the history of St. Louis Jews in the nineteenth century.

Schwartz, Howard, and Barbara Raznick, eds. New Harvest: Jewish Writing in St. Louis, 1998-2005. St. Louis: Brodsky Library Press, 2005. More memoirs of life in St. Louis.

———. New Harvest: Jewish Writing in St. Louis, 1998-2005. St. Louis: Brodsky Library Press, 2005. More memoirs of life in St. Louis.

Young, David A. St. Louis Jewish Community Archives: Guide to Archival Collections. St. Louis: St. Louis Jewish Community Archives, 1995. A guide to the collections in the St. Louis Jewish Community Archives, along with a brief history of the community.

Articles from Gateway Heritage, the quarterly journal
of the Missouri Historical Society:

Boxerman, Burton. “David P. Wohl—Shoe Merchant.” Gateway Heritage 9, no. 2 (Fall 1988):24–33. An examination of the life of David P. Wohl, founder of Wohl Shoe Company.

Boxerman, Burton. “St. Louis Jewish Leaders.” Gateway Heritage 6, no. 4.(Spring 1986): 16–25. Includes brief biographies of Isidor Bush, Moses Fraley, Herman Tuholske, Leon Harrison, Louis P. Aloe, Rachel Stix Michael, Nathan Frank, and Irving Edison.

Bush, Isidor. “Jews in St. Louis.” Gateway Heritage 8, no. 1 (October 1951): 60–70.

Ehrlich, Walter. “Jewish Historic Landmarks in St. Louis.” Gateway Heritage 6, no. 4 (Spring 1986): 2 –15.

Lang, Sherryl. “Fulfilling the American Dream: Jewish Life in St. Louis.” Gateway Heritage 7, no. 1 (Summer 1986): 10–17. A brief history, in text and photos, of Jews in St. Louis from 1807 through the twentieth century.

Marcus, Morris D. “Memoir from the St. Louis Ghetto.” Gateway Heritage 18, no. 3 (Winter 1997–1998): 42–49. A memoir of experiences in the Jewish ghetto in the early 1900s.

Sneddeker, Duane, Glen Holt, and Glenn Hensley. “The Block Brothers Photograph Collection: Treasure on Grandel Square.” Gateway Heritage 5, no. 2 (Fall 1984): 12–35.

Tobin, Gary. “Jewish Population Movements in St. Louis.” Gateway Heritage 7, no. 2 (Fall 1986): 32—41.

Jewish Websites

The American Jewish Archives 
www.americanjewisharchives.org

Jewish in St. Louis
http://www.jewishinstlouis.org

The National Museum of American Jewish History
http://www.nmajh.org/index.htm

Jewish Women's Archive
http://www.JWA.org

Jewish-American History on the Web
http://www.jewish-history.com/Default.htm

My Jewish Learning.com
http://www.myjewishlearning.com/index.htm

The Jewish Museum
http://www.jewishmuseum.org/site/pages/

Judaism 101
http://www.jewfaq.org/

Lewis Place Recommended Readings

Boonshaft vs. Robbins and Koch. Proceedings from the St. Louis Circuit Court, City of St. Louis, State of Missouri (MO 22) Cause #69005, 1943.

Bryan, John A. Missouri's Contribution to American Architecture: A History of the Architectural Achievements in the State from the Time of the Earliest Settlement Down to the Present Year. St. Louis: St. Louis Architectural Club, 1928.

City of St. Louis and Its Resources. St. Louis: Continental Print Co., 1893.

Corbett, Katherine, and Mary See Matter. "Black St. Louis at the Turn of the Century." Gateway Heritage 7, no. 1 (Summer 1986): 40-48.

Cummins, Keller and Matetrson vs. Layne. Proceedings from the St. Louis Circuit Court, City of St. Louis (MO 22) Cause #84085, 1944.

Cummins, Keller and Matetrson vs. Lewis. Proceedings from the St. Louis Circuit Court, City of St Louis (MO 22) Cause #79452, 1944.

Gordon, Colin E. Mapping Decline: St. Louis and the Fate of the American City. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2008.

Gray, Stephen, ed. Collected Works of Gustav Stickley. New York: Turn of the Century Editions, 1981.

Greene, Lorenzo J. Missouri's Black Heritage. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1993.

Harris, Ruth M. Stowe Teachers College and her predecessors. Boston: Christopher Pub. House, 1967.

Heathcott, Joseph. "Black Archipelago: Politics and Civic Life in the Jim Crow City." Journal of Social History 38, no. 3 (2005): 705-736.

Holt, Glen E., and Selwyn K. Troen, eds. St. Louis. New York: New Viewpoints, 1977.

Home Defender, The. St. Louis: United Welfare Association, 1915.

Hyde, William. Encyclopedia of the History of St. Louis: A Compendium of History and Biography for Early References. St. Louis: Southern History Company, 1899.

Kraemer, Fern v. Shelley. Proceedings from the St. Louis Circuit Court, City of St. Louis (MO 22) Cause #91283, 1947.

Leonard, John W., ed. The Book of St. Louisans: A Biographical Dictionary of Leading Living Men of the City of St. Louis. St. Louis: St. Louis Republic, 1912.

Long, Herman H., and Charles Johnson. People vs. Property: Racial Restrictive Covenants in Housing. Nashville, TN: Fisk University Press, 1947.

Meyer, Stephen Grant. As Long As They Don't Move Next Door: Segregation and Racial Conflict in American Neighborhoods. New York: Rowan Littlefield Publishers, 2000.

Naylor, Gillian. The Encyclopedia of Arts and Crafts: The International Arts Movement, 1850-1920. New York: E. P. Dutton, 1989.

Negro Housing; Report on the Committee on Negro Housing. New York: Negro Universities Press, 1969.

Office of the Recorder of Deeds for the City of St. Louis. Lewis Place Uniform Restriction Agreement. Book 4874: 286.

Prejudice and Property. New York: Public Affairs Press, 1948.

Richardson, Scovel. "Notes and Comments: Some of the Defenses Available in the Restrictive Covenant Suits Against Colored American Citizens in St. Louis." National Bar Journal 3, no. 3 (September 1945): 50-56.

Rudolph, Alexander. Racism, African-Americans and Social Justice. Lanham, MD: Rowan Littlefield Publishers, 2005.

St. Louis Globe Democrat. February 26, 1916.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch. June 11, 1944, June 25, 1944, and June 24, 1947.

St. Louis Republic. February 17, 1912, March 8, 1916, and May 5, 1985.

St. Louis: The Metropolis of the Mississippi Valley. St. Louis: Acme Publishing, 1847.

St. Louis Up to Date: The Great Hive of the Mississippi Valley. St. Louis: Consolidated Illustrating Co., 1895.

Savage, Charles C. Architecture of the Private Streets of St. Louis: Architects and the Houses They Designed. Columbia: University of Missouri, 1987.

Segregation. St. Louis: Missouri Historical Society, 1916-1923.

Smith, JoAnn A. Selected Neighbors and Neighborhoods of North Saint Louis and Selected Related Events. St. Louis: Friends of Vaughn Cultural Center, 1988.

Urban Decay in St. Louis. St. Louis: The Institute, 1972.

Vose, Clement E. Caucasians Only: The Supreme Court, the NAACP, and the Restricted Covenant Cases. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1967.

Ware, Leland B. "Invisible Walls: An Examination of the Legal Strategy of the Restrictive Covenant Cases." Washington University Law Quarterly 67, no. 3 (Fall 1989): 737-772.

Lewis Place Websites

City of St. Louis-Lewis Place 
http://stlouis.missouri.org/lewisplace/history.htm

Lewis Place Neighborhood Website 
http://stlouis.missouri.org/lewisplace/

Wikipedia-Lewis Place 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Place,_St._Louis

St. Louis Beacon Video 
http://www.stlbeacon.org/neighborhoods/video_lewis_place_photography_celebrates_unique_neighborhood

Old North St. Louis References

Dry, Camille N. Pictorial St. Louis, the great metropolis of the Mississippi Valley; a topographical survey drawn in perspective A.D. 1875 . St. Louis, 1876. Engraved maps of the city of St. Louis circa 1875- -invaluable historical resource and a good starting point for researchers.

Fox, Tim. Where We Live: A Guide to St. Louis Communities . St. Louis, 1995.

Hannon, Robert E. St. Louis: Its Neighborhoods and Neighbors, Landmarks and Milestones. St. Louis, 1986.

Hurley, Andrew and Miranda Rectenwald. From Village to Neighborhood: A History of Old North St. Louis. St. Louis, 2004.

Hurley, Andrew. A Handbook for Resarchers in St. LouisSt. Louis, Public Policy Research Center.

Kilgo, Dolores Ann. Likeness and Landscape: Thomas M. Easterly and the Art of the Daguerrotype. St. Louis,1994.

Lethem, John. Historical and Descriptive Review of St. Louis: Her Enterprising Business Houses and Progressive Men. St. Louis,1984.

North St. Louis Business Men's Association. St. Louis,1970.

Oldani, John L. Sweetness Preserved: The Story of Crown Candy Kitchen. St. Louis,2005.

Smith, JoAnn Adams. Selected Neighbors and Neighborhoods of North Saint Louis and Selected Related References. 1988.

St. Louis Spectator: Representative Professional, Banking, Manufacturing, and Wholesale Interests of St. Louis, Sketches and Illustrations of Her Principal Industries. Engravings in this Issue by Sanders Engraving Co. St. Louis,1891.

Smith, JoAnn Adams. St. Louis up to Date: The Great Industrial Hive of the Mississippi Valley ... A Glance at Her History, A Review of Her Commerce, and a Description of Her Leading Business Enterprises. St. Louis, 1895.

Troen, Selwyn K. Public and the Schools: Shaping the St. Louis System, 1838-1920. St. Louis, 1975.

Van Ravenswaay, Charles. Saint Louis: An Informal History of the City and its People, 1764-1865. St. Louis, 1991.

Young, Andrew D. The St. Louis Streetcar Story. Glendale, 1988.

Old North St. Louis Websites

Confluence Academy 
http://www.confluenceacademy.com/ONS.htm

Crown Candy Kitchen 
http://www.crowncandykitchen.com

Ecology of Absence 
http://www.eco-absence.org/stl/north.htm

Geo St. Louis 
http://stlcin.missouri.org/citydata/newdesign/statsselector.cfm?type=data&geo=neigh/

Grace Hill Settlement House 
http://www.gracehill.org/default.htm

Haven of Grace 
http://www.havenofgracestl.org/

Old North St. Louis History Trail 
http://www.umsl.edu/~conted/cpp/onnp/biketour1.html

Old North St. Louis Restoration Group 
http://www.onsl.org/

Regional Housing and Community Development Alliance (RHCDA) 
http://www.rhcda.org/

What's New in Old North: Online Blog  
http://newoldnorth.blogspot.com/

* These books are available for purchase at the Missouri Historical Society's Louisana Purchase Shop.