Historical November 1984 report or notice. Original dates, prices and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
Programs designed for children ages six to 13 will continue to emphasize early St. Louis lifestyles and customs of “The People Who Lived Here,” produced by the education staff of the Missouri Historical Society.
The free, illustrated talks, which begin at 10:30 a.m., will be “The Germans Among Us” on Nov. 10; “A Creole Christmas” on Nov. 24; and “The Golden Walnut” on Dec. 1.
They will be held in the Society’s Jefferson Memorial Building in Forest Park.
The “Forty-Eighters” immigrated to the Midwest after the failure of the revolution of 1848 in Germany. Searching for political freedom, many of “The Germans Among Us” settled in St. Louis and played an active role in keeping Missouri in the Union during the Civil War.
The talk on Nov. 10 will be illustrated with slides from the Society’s collections and will be followed by a craft project.
The sociable French, fond of good food and drink, had the longest celebration of any ethnic group, from Christmas Eve to the beginning of Lent. “A Creole Christmas” on Nov. 24 will include background history on the founding of St. Louis, with holiday foods, a creche, old pipestone toys given by a French fur trader to his children, and Christmas artifacts from the Society’s collections.
Many traditional Christmas customs had their origins with the Germans, and the legends of Saint Nicholas, the Christmas tree and golden walnuts will be the focus of “The Golden Walnut” on Dec. 1.
The talk will also feature toys from the Society’s collections along with a tree decorated with old ornaments.
All of the programs are free and open to the public.
For more information or a brochure with a complete listing of the fallwinter series, call the education office at 361-9265.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, November 1984.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1984_11.pdf, printed page(s) 7; PDF page(s) 7.
