By Lynndi Lockenour
From the outside it looks like just another old brick building along Main Street, but inside the walls are filled with history. Taking a tour of the Missouri’s First State Capitol grounds is comparable to taking a trip back in time. The renovated rooms are decorated to look like those of the 1820’s, featuring replicated furniture and tools.
Eleven rooms in the Capitol complex have been restored to their original state and nine rooms are complete with furnishings from the 1821-1826 time period. The Peck brothers’ residence and general store have been restored and furnished as they might have looked in the 1800s. Dried animal pelts hang from the ceiling as an illustration of merchandise needed in the 1820s, which could be found at the Peck Brothers Dry Goods Store.
The general store seems to be a favorite among the hundreds of children who visit on field trips every year from local elementary schools said Dave Klostermeier, Natural Resource Manager 1. “I play guessing games with the children when they come into the store,” he said, “to see if they could guess what the tools in the store were used for in the 1800s.”
Before Missouri was granted statehood on August 10, 1821, various locations in St. Louis had served as the seat of government for territorial affairs. As statehood became a certainty, the search began for a site to become the permanent seat of government. An underdeveloped tract of land located in the center of the state overlooking the Missouri River was chosen to become “The City of Jefferson,” Missouri’s first permanent capitol.
However, until the new capitol could be built, the legislators needed a place to meet. Nine cities competed for this honor of hosting the temporary seat of government for the state. Among these cities was St. Charles, which was ideal because it was booming with trade activity from its location on the Missouri River and Boones Lick Road. The citizens of St. Charles at the time pledged that if their city was selected, they would provide a free meeting space for the legislators.
On November 25, 1820, Governor Alexander McNair signed a bill, which made St. Charles the official first state capitol. The first meeting of the legislators was held on June 4, 1821.
This free facility the citizens provided was on the second floor of two newly constructed adjoining Federal-style brick buildings. The Peck brothers, Charles and Ruluff, owned one of the buildings where they operated a general store on the first floor. Klostermeier said the building wasn’t always as primitive as it looks now. “Now we think of it as being run down,” he said, “but in its day they sold fine items like silk here.”
Chauncy Shepard owned the adjoining building, where he ran a carpenter shop on the first floor. The second floor of the building was divided and used as the Senate and House of Representatives chambers, an office for the governor and a small committee room. During the use of this temporary space, four Missouri governors ran state affairs from St. Charles until the new Capitol was ready in Jefferson City.
A movable wall divided the legislative chambers with the 43 House of Representative members on one side seated in benches and the 14 senators seated on the other side at tables. These tables were covered with a green cloth similar to which pool tables are made of that Klostermeier said was common at the time. “The green color was the best since it reflects the least light, but absorbs the most,” he said, “so it was good on their eyes and it made for an easy writing surface for quill pens.”
In the 1900s the buildings and neighborhood surrounding the first state Capitol slowly started to decay. The building that now makes up the First Missouri State Capitol State Historic Site was acquired in 1960. From there the state began a 10-year restoration project that initiated the revitalization of St. Charles.
The Capitol is located at 200-206 South Maine Street in St. Charles and charges a small fee of $2.50 for anyone over the age of 13 and $1.50 for those ages 6-12. Tours are available Monday - Saturday from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. and on Sundays from 11a.m. until 4 p.m. For more information call 636-940-3322 or visit their website at www.dnr.state.mo.us.
