St. Louis, Missouri STL
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Oldest neighborhood newspaper in St. Louis · Independent and all volunteer-run since 1970

Neighborhood History & Memories

Explore Skinker-DeBaliviere through neighborhood chronicles, oral histories, residents’ recollections and photographs. Discover the people, places and traditions that shaped this community.

Photographs from our shared past

Captions distinguish the date of a photograph from the date it appeared in the newspaper. Where the original gives no date or photographer, that uncertainty is retained.

Stories and recollections

Hamilton Elementary Looks Set to Close

October 26, 2026
By David Powell
On October 20, 2026, Hamilton Elementary hosted a St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS) meeting on the proposal to close the school. The families who attended came because losing Hamilton will have a personal cost. “I hate it, they're making it hard for people like us that live in the area,”…
Hamilton Elementary School building in 1952.

Lu Green, Neighborhood and Community Leader, Dies

November–December 2026
Author not credited
Lu Green Skinker DeBaliviere lost another community catalyst and connector on August 31 with the death of former longtime resident, Lucille “Lu” Green, 83. Ms. Green was the sister of longtime residents Vince Schoemehl (married to Lois and a resident of the 6100 Westminster block) and Jim Schoemehl (married to…
Lu Green

Celebrating 50 Years of Cookies and Community:

September–October 2026
By Jan Bierman
The Skinker DeBaliviere Cookie Exchange Party For 50 years a group of ladies gathered at Jan Bierman’s for the annual Christmas Cookie Party. The objective was simple: bake 10 to 14 dozen cookies, no chocolate chip or oatmeal cookies, no holiday bread and no candy. Scouring cookbooks and newspapers for…
Celebrating 50 Years of Cookies and Community:

Skinker DeBaliviere Neighborhood Mourns Jo Ann Vatcha, Long-Time Resident  

September–October 2026
By Margaret Welch
The Skinker DeBaliviere neighborhood, the city of St. Louis and this newspaper lost a champion with the death of Jo Ann Vatcha, a longtime resident of the 6100 Westminster Place block.
Skinker DeBaliviere Neighborhood Mourns Jo Ann Vatcha, Long-Time Resident

Linda Edwards, Creator of Iconic Blueberry Hill Windows, Mourned

June–July 2026
By Margaret Welch
Remembered for her irreverent humor, wit and her must-see Blueberry Hill windows adorning the Delmar Loop for 40 years, Linda Edwards died February 15. According to the family’s obituary, she grew up in the Skinker DeBaliviere neighborhood and attended St. Roch’s School. She met her husband Joe in 1972. Together…
Linda Edwards, Creator of Iconic Blueberry Hill Windows, Mourned

A History of a St. Louis House

February 2024
By Tony Nipert
A HISTORY OF A ST. LOUIS HOUSE By Tony Nipert Following the 1904 World’s Fair, Skinker DeBaliviere turned from farmland to a dense urban neighborhood. By 1912 in the southeastern corner of the neighborhood, an R.O. Brown Real Estate Company applied for building permits at 5765-67-69-71 Pershing Avenue. At that…

House History

November 2021
By Jo Ann Vatcha
1914–1919 The first owners of 6117 Westminster were Otto and Rosa Starck. VP of Stephens Lithographic, noted in a book called “Historical and Descriptive Review of St. Louis: Her Enterprising Business Houses and Progressive Men,” published in 1894, Otto and Rosa bought the newly built house in 1914 in our…
George McCullough

A Synagogue on DeBaliviere

April 2021
By Jo Ann Vatcha
Many of us have driven by the simple building with the “permastone” facade by the fire station on DeBaliviere and noticed its windows with the Star of David, briefly wondering about its history. A few years ago, Marj Weir and I spent many enjoyable hours at the MOHIS Research Center…

Explore the collection by theme

Neighborhood Chronicles

Accounts of the neighborhood’s development and community traditions.

I Remember When

First-person recollections of streets, neighbors and everyday life.

Memories and recollections

Explore residents’ memories and the people who shaped the neighborhood.

School History

Discover Hamilton School and other neighborhood institutions.

House History

Follow the histories of local houses and their residents.

Share a neighborhood memory

Have a photograph, recollection or correction? Tell us the year, location, names and photographer when known. Contributions are reviewed before publication.