MISSOURI CIVIL WAR MUSEUM IN THE WORKS

Speakers visit Mudd's Grove with update on 1905 building restoration
at Jefferson Barracks
by Fran Mannino

View the article on Webster-Kirwood Times Website

John Maurath points out a spider web window, one of the many historic aspects of a 1905 building currently being converted into the Missouri Civil War Museum at Jefferson Barracks. photo by Diana Linsley

March 06, 2009
As part of an ongoing series on the Civil War, Friends of the Kirkwood Historical Society recently welcomed two members of the Missouri Civil War Museum organization to Mudd's Grove.

Mark Trout, founder and chairman of the not-for-profit group, is spearheading the restoration of the Post Exchange and Gymnasium Building at historic Jefferson Barracks in South County, future home of the Missouri Civil War Museum.

Civil War Museum

The federal-style Post Exchange and Gymnasium Building was built in 1905 for Army officers, and once contained a library, gymnasium, saunas, indoor pistol range and bowling alley. It was decommissioned after World War II, and sat empty for decades.

The structure has undergone a remarkable transformation from the crumbling, uninhabitable space it was just a few years ago to the structurally sound, updated building of today.

Trout and his volunteers have been working around the clock since 2002 to get the building habitable.

"We have two goals," said Trout. "Our first goal was to save the building. The second goal is to find a way to open on April 12, 2011, the 150th anniversary (of the start) of the Civil War.

"We started as an organization of three and have grown to an organization of 400," said Trout.

"Without a doubt this is a true grassroots project, funded entirely by the generosity of people and businesses, with no government funding."

The most immediate challenge for the museum organization is trying to raise funds during one of the worst recessions to hit the country in decades.

Mark Trout speaks to members of the Kirkwood Historical Society at Mudd’s Grove. Trout describes Jefferson Barracks as the most significant military historic site in the state and a fitting setting for a new Missouri Civil War Museum. photo by Diana Linsley points out a spider web window, one of the many historic aspects of a 1905 building currently being converted into the Missouri Civil War Museum at Jefferson Barracks. photo by Diana Linsley

"In reality we are a half-million dollars away from finishing this and opening it," said Trout.

The restoration budget for the 15,000-square-foot space is about $2 million. Funds raised to date have been pumped into massive improvements to shore up the decaying building.

"It's a big challenge," said Trout. "If you're a Civil War enthusiast or historian and want to get involved and do some good, we have 24 months left. We could really use your help."

New Life for an Aging Beauty

Trout is one of those rare individuals who can see past the neglect of the past to the potential of the future - even if it involves years of back-breaking labor and sacrifice in the process.

"Jefferson Barracks is without a doubt the most significant military historic site in the state," he said. "We felt the need to fill a void in this city that sent more soldiers into the Civil War than any other city west of the Mississippi."

Trout, a Webster University alum, struck a deal with St. Louis County for a 99-year lease at $1 a year. Trout's end of the bargain is to restore the structure to its former glory.

Trout's right-hand man is John Maurath, director of library services for the Missouri Civil War Museum organization. Maurath is a former Sunset Hills resident who now lives near Jefferson Barracks.

Trout and Maurath both quit their day jobs to work on the restoration, doing everything from shoveling tons of debris out of the building to laying floors. The challenge for the group is a daunting one.

"When we took this building over it had been out of service since 1946," said Trout. "There were gaping holes in the roof. There were raccoons and pigeons in here - we even had to chase a Mallard off the running track."

Volunteers working on the project range from high school students to senior citizens, even retired colonels and major generals.

Some of the group's older members said when the building was decommissioned, ads were placed in the newspapers encouraging people to come salvage what they could before it was torn down.

"The first thing they took was the slate roof," said Maurath. "Every time it rained the building filled with water. They took all the beautiful hardware, the chandeliers."

The Post building at Jefferson Barracks has three "sister" buildings still in service in other states. Trout found the original blueprints for his building at one of the sister locations in Wyoming.

"Everything we do here is guided by the original blueprints," he said. "That's the gospel of the restoration."

Mahogany front doors are ready to be installed, but will remain in storage until all the major construction is completed to keep them from being damaged. In the meantime, plywood is doing double duty at the front entrance.

"People judge our progress by what they see boarded up on the outside," said Trout. "They have no idea what we're putting into the infrastructure."

Improvements include a new roof, a fire suppression system costing upwards of $100,000, and restoration and replacement of exterior soffits and fascia that were destroyed by years of water damage. Nearly every floor and wall in the building has been replaced.

Plastering is complete on much of the second floor of the building, which will house staff offices and a full kitchen for artifact cleaning and restoration.

Education and Enrichment

Trout stressed he is not a Civil War scholar, just a former police officer and Marine veteran with ancestors who fought on both sides of the Civil War conflict.

Maurath, who also has Civil War ancestors, said the true measure of success for the project will be how many yellow school buses full of kids pull up outside the new museum when it opens.

"The museum is geared to work with the outside curriculums of school districts," said Trout. "They'd come to the museum to learn about the Civil War, instead of limiting it to the classroom."

Maurath said they already have 2,000 books on the Civil War for the museum's library, and a host of other artifacts, stored for now in a climate-controlled environment off site.

Visitors to the completed museum will be able to learn about Missouri's involvement in the Civil War through interactive displays, exhibits and a library resource center.

"We've got blood, sweat and tears in this building," said Trout. "The museum is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. In the end we're creating something tens of thousands of people will see."

Learn more about the Missouri Civil War Museum at www.mcwm.org. Volunteer and donation information is also available on the Web site, or by calling 845-1861.

Civil War at Mudd's Grove

Some of the Civil War items now on display at Mudd’s Grove. photo by Diana Linsley

"Our next few meetings will focus on the Civil War," said Friends of the Kirkwood Historical Society President Jean Mueller. "We have lots of artifacts and clothing that have been given to us over the years and are on display."

Historically, Kirkwood has a number of Civil War connections.

"During the Civil War a lot of troops marched from Jefferson Barracks to Kirkwood to take the train to be deployed," Maurath said.

William B. Swan, who served in the Union Army during the war, owned Swan Cottage on North Harrison Avenue, one of Kirkwood's many historic landmark buildings.

"A lot of Civil War soldiers lived here, and a lot of these homes were designed and built by Civil War soldiers," said Maurath.

Upcoming Civil War presentations at Mudd's Grove, 302 W. Argonne, include:

* Monday, April 6, 10 a.m. - Historic impersonator Marie Andel will present Mrs. George Dana. The Dana family occupied Mudd's Grove from 1889 to 1923.

* Monday, May 4, 10 a.m. - Barnes M. Bradshaw of the Missouri Historical Society will discuss the life of a Confederate prisoner of war in the Federal Prison on Gratiot Street in St. Louis.

Civil War clothing and artifacts are on display in the upstairs museum room. For more information, call 965-5151.