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Historic Christopher Hawken House

DESCRIPTION: The Historic Christopher Hawken House is the oldest house in suburban Webster Groves. It was built in 1857 by Christopher Hawken, son of Jacob Hawken who, with his brother Samuel, made the famous Hawken Rifle. Called the "gun that settled the West," it was the rifle of choice of many famous westward explorers and trappers, including Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett, Kit Carson, John Fremont, Jim Bridger and St. Louis fur trader Robert Campbell. The Hawken House, which is on the National Historic Register, is an excellent example of a Federal/Greek Revival home. It is decorated with furnishings of the era.

ADDRESS: 1155 S. Rock Hill Road St. Louis, MO 63119

LOCATION: Southwest St. Louis County in suburban Webster Groves.

PHONE NUMBER: 314-968-1857

WEB SITE: www.historicwebster.org/hawken_house.shtml

GETTING THERE: From downtown, take I-44 about nine miles to Elm Avenue (Exit 280). Turn left on Elm. Take Elm about a third of a mile to Glendale Road. Take Glendale about two-thirds of a mile to Big Bend. Turn left on Big Bend to South Rock Hill Road. Turn left on S. Rock Hill and follow it a short distance to the Hawken House. The house will be on the right.

HOURS: 11 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.; Tues. and Thur.; 1 - 3:30 p.m., Sun. or by appointment. Closed mid-December - March.

ADMISSION: $2.50, adults; $1, children, age 5-12; free, 5 and under.

HISTORY: The Hawken family came to America from Switzerland in the 1700s and settled in Maryland. With a family history of gun-smithing, some family members began to make weapons for the U. S. Army at the Harper's Ferry arsenal. Jacob Hawken came to St. Louis in 1807 and set up his rifle shop where the Gateway Arch stands today.

Christopher Hawken started out as a cabinetmaker. He, too, had a shop on the riverfront in St. Louis before heading west to participate in the California gold rush in 1849. He returned to St. Louis, married Mary Ann Eads, granddaughter of Thomas Sappington, an early resident of the St. Louis area, and settled down to life as a farmer.

Hawken bought 100 acres near the intersection of Big Bend and Grant Roads near where the Church of the Open Door now stands today for 25 cents an acre. He later added 165 acres to his holdings. The house, designed to look like Mary Ann's father's home, was constructed of bricks made on the property. The Hawkens had nine children -- eight sons and a daughter -- in the house. Only three -- two sons and a daughter -- lived to adulthood. It is believed Mary Ann Hawken died of typhoid fever in 1878. In 1900, following a fall from his hayloft, Hawken went to live with his son Jacob, a graduate of Washington University who practiced law and lived in Kirkwood. Hawken died in 1905 at the age of 79. The Hawken family plot is in Oak Hill Cemetery in Kirkwood.

After Hawken's death, the church used the house as a pastor's residence for many years. In 1970, with a grant from the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the city of Webster Groves purchased the house, split it in half and moved it to its present location in Southwest Park. It was the first historic home in Missouri to receive federal funds for restoration. A matching amount was raised by Webster Groves residents. The house is now operated by the Webster Groves Historical Society.

An Oak Harbor, Washington company continues to make Hawken Rifles which it says are "hand made using components that are hand fitted to individual rifles in the true Hawken tradition."

HIGHLIGHTS:

  • The two-story brick house has two porches on the side and one in the front.
  • A replica of the famed Hawken Rifle hangs in the house.
  • The home is decorated with several pieces that belonged to the Hawken family. The rest of the furnishings were donated by the residents of Webster Grove. A curator researched the period and used only items that would have been found in the house during its early days.
  • A Knabe grand piano, built in Baltimore in the 1870s, is in the guest parlor. The piano is made of rosewood with imitation ebony legs.
  • Portraits of the Hawken family can be seen in the house.
  • The dining room has a Hoosier cabinet from Indiana, a mother of pearl clock and Christopher Hawken's chair.
  • The kitchen features a dry sink and an iron, wood-burning stove. Kitchen implements including a cherry pitter, a ruffler, vinegar jugs, and an early corn popper, are also on display. Also in the kitchen is a high chair, which can be turned into a stroller.
  • Interesting items in the guest room include a four-poster rope bed, a glove stretcher, Mary Ann's riding crop and a beaver fur hat that belonged to William Seward.
  • The family bedroom has a four-poster walnut bed and other furnishings.
  • The children's bedroom is furnished with a cradle, a youth bed and several antique toys including a Dolly Madison doll and a hobbyhorse.
  • In the basement of the house is an extensive collection of dolls from around the world dressed in their native costumes. The dolls were donated by a St. Louis woman who collected them on her overseas travel.
  • Behind the house is the Webster Groves History Center, a rustic-looking barn constructed in 1976 that houses the Society's extensive archives collection. The Center can be rented for weddings, parties and meetings.
  • A garden at the rear of the house is a gift of the Webster Groves Herb Society.
  • Visitors can picnic in the adjacent Southwest Park following their tour of the home.

WHAT'S FUN FOR KIDS: Children enjoy the extensive doll collection in the basement of the house. They also enjoy visiting the child's room at the Hawken House and learning how children lived at the time the house was built. Of special interest are the antique toys including building "blocks" made out of stone and the "magic lantern," a device where a lit candle can be place behind pictures to illuminate them. The Hawken House also does educational programs with school groups. There is a playground in Southwest Park next to the home.

ANNUAL SPECIAL EVENTS: Each fall the Webster Groves Historical Society holds an antique show which draws dealers from across the country. The show is the main fund-raiser for the Christopher Hawken House.

HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBILITY: The Christopher Hawkins House is not handicapped accessible, but visitors who can handle the few steps to the house entrance can tour the main floor. If they can get down the steps to the basement, they can also see a program that gives them a video tour of the second floor.

GIFT SHOP: A gift shop on the lower level carries books, tapes, mugs, marbles and other small toys, post cards, items of historic significance, Victorian-style gifts and hand-forged ironware crafted in Missouri.

WHERE TO GET LUNCH: There are several restaurants around nearby Crestwood Plaza on Watson Road.

WHAT'S NEARBY: The Sappington House, Laumeier Sculpture Park, Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center and the Magic House are nearby.

PUBLIC RELATIONS CONTACT: Betty Ward, 314-968-1857, hawkenhouse@mindspring.com

 

Readers should call 1-800-916-0040 to request a free copy of the Official St. Louis Visitor Guide or point, click and explore St. Louis at www.explorestlouis.com