...our history...

I circled around the parking lot seeking the entrance. I couldn't grasp the vast amount of land that Faust Park consumed. A tiny sign reading Faust Historic Village caught my eye on the way out, and I pulled into a parking space and climbed out of my cool air-conditioned car and into the 90 degree heat of the day.

Faust Historic Village is open only rarely during the year, and today happened to be one of those days. With the opportunity to walk into the homes, staff dressed in period clothes giving free guided tours, and a free price tag, I couldn't resist imagining what life was like for someone just like me 150 years ago in St. Louis.

What would I have been like? Would I still have chosen teaching as a profession? Would I have been able to afford an instrument to play? These questions, and many others, plagued my thoughts as sweat poured from my brow. Still, there's something magical about stepping back in time, and that's what it feels like as you walk through this little village.

Here are some of my favorite pictures of the day:

Stepping back in time

Old barn and wagon

A wealthy man's home

The garden gate

The doctor's house

A melodian. I desperately wanted to...but I didn't play it.

Some things never change.
We still play cards and dominos to pass the time.

The blacksmith making chains and sweating buckets.

Demonstrating the use of a yoke.

The one room school house - the US was one of the first countries to offer
a free, public school system. 

Really? Really?!? The best rule? After 10 hours in school, the teacher was
allowed to read the Bible or other good books. 

Yet another amazing garden

The Historic Village at Faust Park will be open Sunday, July 27, from 1pm - 5pm. It is definitely worth a visit. If you can't make it out tomorrow, then make it a priority to visit the Historic Village during the Faust Heritage Festival September 20 & 21.

What do you think your life would have looked like if you lived then, instead of now?