Guide to the Archival Collections.pdf - Missouri History Museum

featured articles by recognized writers in areas such as the arts, history, society, politics, etc. but
with a St. Louis focus.
The collection consists of press releases, news clippings, programs, radio scripts, and
correspondence relating to the magazine. Most of the material dates from the founding of the
magazine in 1963.
Cite as: St. Louis Magazine Scrapbook, Missouri History Museum Archives, St. Louis.
A1429
Saint Louis Maternity Hospital.
Records, 1911-1934. 1 box; 1 oversize folder
The St. Louis Maternity Hospital was founded in May 1908 when Mrs. Elizabeth Samuel
Garrison hosted a meeting of friends, physicians, and clergy to discuss the need for a maternity
hospital where poor married women and “unfortunate” girls could be cared for before, during,
and after their confinement. The non-sectarian hospital began in a six-room house at 3430 Lucas
Avenue, then soon moved to larger quarters at 2621 Locust Street. In 1912, as demand for
services continued to increase, the hospital moved into a former sanitarium at 4518 Washington
Avenue. From its beginning the institution’s financial support came solely from the public
through subscriptions and various fundraising efforts. By the 1920s about 50% of the work at the
hospital was without cost to the patients. In 1924 the Rockefeller General Education Board gave
the hospital’s research department a gift of $650,000, contingent upon the construction of a new
and enlarged building. The Maternity Hospital, newly affiliated with Washington University,
would use the money for research and teaching in obstetrics and diseases of newborns. Although
affiliated with the university, the Maternity Hospital still relied on public support for building
funds and operating expenses. An eight-story building was erected at 630 South Kingshighway
in 1928, and the Maternity Hospital continued to operate at that site until the early 1970s, when it
ceased to exist as an independent hospital. It later was used to house medical offices as part of
the Barnes-Jewish Hospital Complex at the Washington University Medical Center Complex.
The bulk of the collection relates to the issue of fundraising to pay for the new (1928)
hospital. The collection is also particularly strong in documenting the construction of the hospital
building at 630 South Kingshighway during the years 1925 through 1928. The correspondence
with the architects reveals not only concerns about the modernity and efficiency of the building’s
layout, but hints at social issues as well. A letter dated October 12, 1925, refers specifically to
“toilet rooms for white men and women,” while another, dated October 12, 1929, suggests that
an entrance “could still be used for taxi cab and Negro patients.” There are few items that
illuminate the inner workings of the hospital or inform the researcher of the philosophy behind
the hospital.
Finding aid available.
Cite as: Saint Louis Maternity Hospital Records, Missouri History Museum Archives, St. Louis.
A1430
Saint Louis Merchants' Exchange (Saint Louis, Missouri).
Records, 1845-1963. 61 boxes; 118 volumes
In 1849, merchants started bringing to the Chamber of Commerce meetings samples of grain,
produce, and merchandise for sale. This led to the forming of the St. Louis Merchants Exchange
in 1850. The merchants met and exchanged statistics concerning shipments, visible supplies of
commodities, transportation needs, current consumption levels and other matters useful for
estimating price trends and changes.
The collection contains the correspondence addressed to the Merchants Exchange and deals