The Missouri Historical Society Library and Research Center, located at 225 South Skinker Blvd. in St. Louis, contains a wealth of published and manuscript material that can be of great value to genealogists. The focus of the society's holdings is the history of St. Louis, the state of Missouri, and the nineteenth-century American West. Recently, several valuable guides to the collections have been posted on the society's website--www.mohistory.org. On the website, researchers can now access the following collection guides: * The "Guide to the Archival Collections," which contains brief descriptions of the scope and content of the more than 2,000 catalogued manuscript collections in the society's archives. These collections comprise (1) personal/family papers, which can include such items as correspondence, diaries, reminiscences, receipts, and deeds; (2) records of businesses, institutions, and organizations, which can include such items as minute books, account books, personnel records, and membership rosters; and (3) records of various local government offices. From the society's main page--www.mohistory.org--click on the "Library and Research" link, then click on "Collection Guide." Researchers should note that the "Guide to the Archival Collections" does not list or describe every document in the archives, rather it broadly describes each catalogued collection of documents. The old-style Archives Card Catalog, which is located in the reading room of the Library and Research Center, indexes to varying degrees the collections described in the "Guide to the Archival Collections." * Finding aids to selected manuscript collections in the archives. These finding aids contain detailed descriptions of the contents of these collections, oftentimes describing each document. The archives staff plans to post more collection finding aids in the near future. From the society's main page--www.mohistory.org--click on the "Library and Research" link, then click on "Collection Guide." * The "Guide to Civil War Manuscripts,"which describes the archives' extensive holdings on this subject. From the society's main page--www.mohistory.org--click on the "Library and Research" link, then click on "Collection Guide." * The "Guide to the Photographs and Prints Collection" and guides to five specific photograph collections. From the society's main page--www.mohistory.org--click on the "Library and Research" link, then click on "Collection Guide." * The online library catalog, which contains approximately 75% of the library's holdings, including books, historical journals, annual reports, and pamphlets. From the society's main page--www.mohistory.org--click on the "Library and Research" link, then click on "Search the Catalog." For questions regarding the archival collections, contact the archives at [email protected] or 314-746-4510. For questions regarding the photographs and prints collections, contact the Photographs and Prints Department at [email protected] or 314-746-4511. For questions regarding the library's holdings, contact the library at [email protected] or 314-746-4500.

Quite some time ago sombody inquired about clay or coal mines in St. Louis. Their ancestor was a miner if I recall correctly. I can across a pretty comprehensive listing of 80 or so underground clay and coal mines under the City of St. Louis (a few in the county as well). Its pretty interesting to see we have entire blocks that have mines beneath the surface. Most of them were dug out using vertical shafts 40-100 ft. deep. This explains why we have so many bricks in this city. We have abundant fire clay deposits so mines riddle our underground. Some of the old bricks we find today bear the names of the various clay mines (like "Laclede" or "Evans and Howard"). In some areas of the city, there are mine shafts even inside the basements of the houses. That could be a source of free air conditioning if one looks to the bright side of the matter. Other shafts dot beneath alleys and roadways. Some blocked up by brick and others simply by timbers. The "Dogtown" area and South St. Louis contain the largest acreage of underground mines. (There is a mine beneath the St. Louis Zoo and another beneath Deaconess Hospital). A lot of the area north of Watson Road, between Gravois and Kingshighway is underlaiden by vast pillared rooms that interconnect from one to another. One mine was accidently opened during the widening of Gravios in 1930. There is much we don't know as most mines were never mapped. Many are only known by the approximate location of its entry shaft. They date anywhere from the 1820's to up in the 1940-50's when the last of them were mined. I posted a listing on the web at: http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/stlouis/underground_stl.htm or go to my main page and follow the link. Scott K. Williams, History's Time Portal to Old St. Louis http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/stlouis/