Mudd’s Grove Fact Sheet

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	Mudd’s Grove DESCRIPTION: Mudd's Grove is an antebellum, brick Greek revival house in Kirkwood, Missouri. John Hoffman, a local real estate man, built the home in 1859 but it is named for Henry T. Mudd who bought the house and 100 adjoining acres in 1866. Through the years, Mudd's Grove was home to many local families before it was bought by the Kirkwood Historical Society in 1992 and opened for public tours. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. Mudd's Grove is a popular venue for weddings, receptions and other gatherings, and it is home of the Kirkwood Historical Society. The Society meets there and often schedules talks with speakers on topics of history. The talks are open to the public. ADDRESS: 302 W. Argonne, Kirkwood, MO 63122 LOCATION: Kirkwood, MO in West St. Louis County PHONE NUMBER: 314-965-5151 WEB SITE: www.kirkwoodarea.com/historic/main_frameset.htm GETTING THERE: From downtown, take I-44 West to the US 61/Lindbergh/US 67-50 Exit (Exit 277B) and turn right. Lindbergh becomes Kirkwood Road. Take Kirkwood Road south about a mile to Argonne just past Kirkwood's historic train station. Because you cannot make a left turn onto Argonne, turn right on Argonne. Follow the street a short distance to the next block where you can make a left around the dividing island in the street and continue to Mudd's Grove at 302 W. Argonne. The home will be on the left. HOURS: 1-4 p.m., Thursday and Sunday HANDICAPPED ACCESS: The first floor of Mudd's Grove is handicapped accessible. ADMISSION: $2; children and students, free. HIGHLIGHTS: A portrait of Henry Mudd hangs in the parlor of the home. Furniture in the room includes a rosewood piano from the 1830s, an Eastlake pier mirror and a period settee, a sofa and a secretary desk. Portraits of Mr. And Mrs. Matthews, early Kirkwood settlers, hang in the dining room. Furnishings include a period table-game table, a Rococo style mirror, an Empire style sideboard and 1850s sconces. The "Hearth Room" was the old kitchen and is furnished with a parson's bench, walnut table and Gothic revival linen press. Named for the family who lived in the house at the turn of the century, the Dana Roomis furnished with a Victorian box piano, an Empire sofa, a 19th century butler style desk and other items. The room is now used for receptions and meetings. The house has nine fireplaces. The library holds a needlepoint rug designed by Ginger Carter, a local woman. It has pictures of 12 historic houses in Kirkwood. The Reading Room has a view of the gatehouse and contains a picture of James Pugh Kirkwood, the engineer for the Pacific Railroad after whom the town is named. Upstairs, the East Bedroom is considered the children's room of the house. It is furnished with an 1884 Eastlake child's bed; a Lincoln rocker and andirons styled as Hessian soldiers. The room also has blocks that are more than 100 years old and other antique toys. In the West Bedroom, period clothing is on display as is an unusual quilt that is made of political ribbons, some said to be from past presidential balls. The room is furnished with an Empire style walnut dresser and a sleigh bed from the 1840s, an 1850s armoire, a period settee and a sewing cabinet called a "Martha Washington." The Museum/Chapel contains pews from St. Peter's Church which was located in the St. Peter Cemetery on Geyer Road in 1832 during the time before the railroad came and the town of Kirkwood was established. The pews were moved to the second St. Peter's Church built on Argonne in 1867. When the church was demolished in 1951, William Bodley Lane retrieved them. When he purchased Mudd's Grove in 1955, he had the pews installed in the room, which he made into a private chapel for his mother. Also in the room is a painting by local artist Siegfried Rhinehart who painted the murals that hang at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. HISTORY: Mudd's Grove was built in 1859 by developer John Hoffman just a few years after Kirkwood's founding. Henry T. Mudd purchased the home and 100 adjoining acres in 1865 and lived there with his wife and seven children until 1882. Mudd was a county auditor, a member of the town board of Kirkwood and a curator of the University of Missouri. As a Missouri state legislator, he was also a member of the committee that drafted the Missouri Constitution in 1875. The original home was a three-story brick house with a two-story wood portico. In 1889, the George Dana family purchased the home. Mrs. Dana was the daughter of B. Gratz Brown who had been governor of the state from 1870 to 1872. Mr. Dana was founder and president of the Charter Oak Stove Company and was reportedly the first man in Kirkwood to own an automobile. The Danas remodeled the house and added the wrap-around porch and gatehouse. From 1872 to 1955, the house was home to the Mahan, Somerville and Muckerman families. The Mahans converted it into a two-family dwelling in the 1920s. In the early 1940s, Francis X. Muckerman purchased the house and turned it back into a single family home. W. Bodley Lane, a restoration architect, purchased the home in 1955 and lived in it until 1992 when the Kirkwood Historical Society purchased it. The Kirkwood Historical Society restored the home and in 1994 it was chosen as a Decorators' Showcase home. In the Decorators' Showcase program, several local decorators each chose a room of a given house to decorate with wall coverings, draperies and period furniture. A house show and tour is then held with proceeds benefiting a local charity. After the event when the furnishings were removed, the Historical Society was able to buy some of the draperies from the group and it furnished the home with period pieces donated by its members, Mudd family members and other interested parties. Despite many changes since the home was built, the Historical Society has tried to restore it to its original appearance with a few exceptions such as the Dana Room. Originally the room had been a double parlor but it was left as one room to better accommodate receptions and meetings. The House now serves as headquarters of the Historical Society. WHAT'S COMING UP: The Kirkwood Historical Society hopes to show videos on the history of the area at some time in the future. Society officials plan to have the showings in the Museum/Chapel using the pews there as seating for visitors. WHERE TO GET LUNCH: There are several restaurants in nearby Kirkwood Junction, the city's downtown area centered around the historic train station. GIFT SHOP: Gatehouse Gifts, the gift shop for Mudd's Grove, is located in the gatehouse. There visitors can find books on local history, cookbooks by local organizations, post cards, shirts, metal craft and a 1909 map of Kirkwood suitable for framing. ESPECIALLY FOR KIDS: There is a children's room on the second floor with antique toys, books and other items of interest to children. WHAT'S NEARBY: Nearby are the Magic House Children's Museum; Stages St. Louis, a professional musical theatre company; the Kirkwood Theatre Guild; Museum of Transportation; Kirkwood Farmers' Market and Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center are all nearby. PUBLIC RELATIONS CONTACT: Nancy Mason, head of docents for the Kirkwood Historical Society, 314-966-8643
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