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A−History
History · Kirkwood

Kirkwood dates to 1852, and 17% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 75% of U.S. towns · #55 of 247 in Missouri. What drives it

29 places in town are on the National Register, among them five historic districts with 461 buildings between them. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1933 on, and the census since 1880.

1852founded
29on the National Register
17%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
28famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Kirkwood’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Kirkwood began

When was Kirkwood founded?

1852

Kirkwood dates its founding to 1852 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 1,280 in 18802020 census: 29,461174 years

How historic is Kirkwood?

A−

More historic than 75% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1851.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Kirkwood’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Kirkwood is more historic than 75% of U.S. towns, #55 of 247 in Missouri. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Kirkwood’s overall grade.
Founding era1852, from Wikipedia: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194016.5% of homes (±2.0) · typical MO town 8.4% · U.S. 8.4%BNational Register29 listings, 490 historic buildings, 167 per 10,000 residents · typical MO town 2.4 · U.S. 2.4A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 75%
NewerOlder
Missouri towns of 2,500+ (247)Ahead of 78%

Missouri towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Missouri town has 2.4 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Kirkwood’s 167 sits above most of its state (94% of Missouri towns have fewer) while its 490 historic buildings outnumber those of 97% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A. The pre-1940 share (±2.0 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1852.

Founding year: Wikipedia (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Kirkwood’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Landmarks on the Register29 places on the National Register.A historic districtThe Jefferson-Argonne Historic District takes in 168 historic buildings.A history waiting to be writtenOnly 3 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages1 post office opened and closed inside today’s Kirkwood, and 4 old place names are still on the map.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

29 listings protect 490 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
29
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
490
each building in a district counts
first listed
1978
Barretts Tunnels
Barretts TunnelsGrace Episcopal ChurchMudd's GroveKirkwood Missouri Pacific Depot, built 1893Russell and Ruth Goetz Kraus House, built 1955J. Milton Turner SchoolDavid Keith HouseEgbert W. Halsey CottageG.W. Tolhurst HouseGeorge W. and Virginia Fishback HouseJames H. and Marietta Comfort HouseJohn P. and Dora Blake HousePatrick and Moire McMullen HouseProf. Frances e. Nipher HouseRomanzo N. Bayley HouseGeorge R. and Elsie Robinson HouseTheodore and Lena Richter HouseElijah J. Unsell HouseJames W. and Mary Way HouseJudge Enos Clarke HouseOlive Chapel African Methodist Episcopal ChurchWilliam Bopp HouseOsage Hills SchoolCragwoldLizzie McLagan HouseEast Monroe Historic DistrictJefferson-Argonne Historic DistrictDowntown Kirkwood Historic DistrictNorth Taylor Avenue Historic District
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Italianate9
Tudor Revival7
Greek Revival5
Colonial Revival5
Queen Anne3
Bungalow/Craftsman3
Barretts TunnelsDistrict
Grace Episcopal ChurchEnglish Gothic Revival
Mudd's GroveGreek Revival
Kirkwood Missouri Pacific DepotQueen Anne · Built 1893
Russell and Ruth Goetz Kraus HouseModern Movement · Built 1955
J. Milton Turner SchoolModerne
David Keith HouseItalianate
Egbert W. Halsey CottageFolk Victorian
All 29 listings
G.W. Tolhurst HouseBuilding · listed 2002George W. and Virginia Fishback HouseBuilding · listed 2002James H. and Marietta Comfort HouseBuilding · listed 2002John P. and Dora Blake HouseBuilding · listed 2002Patrick and Moire McMullen HouseBuilding · listed 2002Prof. Frances e. Nipher HouseBuilding · listed 2002Romanzo N. Bayley HouseBuilding · listed 2002George R. and Elsie Robinson HouseBuilding · listed 2002Theodore and Lena Richter HouseBuilding · listed 2002Elijah J. Unsell HouseBuilding · listed 2002James W. and Mary Way HouseBuilding · listed 2002Judge Enos Clarke HouseBuilding · listed 2002Olive Chapel African Methodist Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 2004William Bopp HouseBuilding · listed 2006Osage Hills SchoolBuilding · listed 2007CragwoldBuilding · listed 2009Lizzie McLagan HouseBuilding · listed 2002East Monroe Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2004Jefferson-Argonne Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2004Downtown Kirkwood Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2009North Taylor Avenue Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2012

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Help out

Start Kirkwood’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Kirkwood’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewHard-scrabble, St. Louis County, Mo: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Kirkwood came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Kirkwood.

Read it all →

Plans for a new community close to St. Louis were begun after the St. Louis fire of 1849 and the preceding and subsequent cholera outbreaks that killed one-tenth of the residents of downtown St. Louis. In 1850, Hiram W. Leffingwell and Richard Smith Elliott bought land 14 miles (23 km) from downtown, which was at about the same time James P. Kirkwood, chief engineer of the Missouri Pacific Railroad, was laying out a route for the train line. The city of Kirkwood, named after the chief engineer, was platted in 1852. Kirkwood was the first suburban municipality built outside of the St. Louis city boundaries.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Kirkwood, 1851 to 1996

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1851Post officeThe Bonhomme post office opens
  3. 1852
    FoundingKirkwood is established
  4. 1854Post officeThe Kirkwood post office opens
  5. 1865In the archiveHard-scrabble, St. Louis County, Mo
  6. 1865Born hereHoward Sutherland is born here
  7. 1887Born hereMarianne Moore is born here
  8. 1891In the archiveView from the southwest of "Hardscrabble", Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's log cabin, near Kirkwo…
  9. 1893BuiltKirkwood Missouri Pacific Depot is built
  10. 1895Post officeThe Bonhomme post office closes
  11. 20th century
  12. 1901Post officeThe Kirkwood post office closes
  13. 1910Born hereJosephine Johnson is born here
  14. 1933On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  15. 1955BuiltRussell and Ruth Goetz Kraus House is built
  16. 1994In the archiveBest Western - Kirkwood, Missouri, 1994
  17. 1996Born hereSlayyyter is born here
By decade

Kirkwood, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1860s to the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1860s–1890s2 items
Hard-scrabble, St. Louis County, Mo1865Hard-scrabble, St. Louis County, MoView from the southwest of "Hardscrabble", Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's log cabin, near Kirkwood, St. Louis County, Missouri1891View from the southwest of "Hardscrabble", Gen. Ulyss…
1900s–1980snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
1990s1 item
Best Western - Kirkwood, Missouri, 19941994Best Western - Kirkwood, Missouri, 1994
Today13 recent
Culpeppers2012CulpeppersClock In2012Clock InClay & Bailey Mfg Co Kc Mo2012Clay & Bailey Mfg Co Kc MoCast Iron Storefront In2012Cast Iron Storefront InCahill Mfg Co St. Louis2012Cahill Mfg Co St. LouisBanner Iron Works2012Banner Iron WorksSt. Louis Business Journal In2012St. Louis Business Journal InDocumentRolling in the Frisco Bell2011Rolling in the Frisco BellOffices in2011Offices inHolekamp Lumberlabel QS:Len,"Holekamp Lumber"2011Holekamp Lumberlabel QS:Len,"Holekamp Lumber"Lenox and Sutherland2010Lenox and SutherlandMaureen Pics 0242009Maureen Pics 024Kirkwood City Hall 072007Kirkwood City Hall 07
On the map

Kirkwood on the map, 1933 to 1993

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Kirkwood. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Kirkwood on the 1933 USGS mapKirkwood on the 1940 USGS mapKirkwood on the 1954 USGS mapKirkwood on the 1968 USGS mapKirkwood on the 1974 USGS mapKirkwood on the 1982 USGS mapKirkwood on the 1993 USGS map1933Kirkwood sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Kirkwood.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Hard-scrabble, St. Louis County, Mo
Retake this viewHard-scrabble, St. Louis County, Mo, 1865

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Kirkwood’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Kirkwood, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 31,679

Between 1,280 and 31,679 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Kirkwood’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

28 famous people were born in Kirkwood

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Marianne MooreAmerican poet · b. 1887
SlayyyterAmerican singer and songwriter · b. 1996
J
Josephine JohnsonAmerican novelist, nature writer, poet · b. 1910
Howard SutherlandAmerican politician · b. 1865
B
Bob ScheiflerComputer scientist · b. 1954
Jack BuechnerAmerican politician · b. 1940
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Kirkwood had its own post office from 1854 to 1901. Another post office, Bonhomme, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Bonhomme
1851–1895
Kirkwood
1854–1901
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Meacham ParkOsage HillsWindsor SpringsWoodhine Heights
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Kirkwood
Oak HillQuinette

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Des PeresIts storyCGlendale2 historic placesA−Sunset Hills3 historic placesC−Warson WoodsIts storyC−OaklandIts storyB−Crestwood3 historic placesC+Frontenac1 historic placeD

Questions about Kirkwood’s history

What year was Kirkwood founded?

In 1852, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Kirkwood’s post office opened in 1851, and the census of 1880 counted 1,280 people here.

How does Kirkwood rank for history?

Kirkwood is more historic than 75% of U.S. towns, #55 of 247 in Missouri. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Kirkwood?

29 listings: 24 buildings and 5 historic districts with 461 contributing buildings. 490 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Kirkwood?

17% of Kirkwood’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.0 points), against a typical 8.4% for a Missouri town; the median home was built in 1962.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (14), the Library of Congress (2), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (29), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.