A Firebell in the Night

When searching for books about black lives in St. Louis most books start around the 1940's or 50's. They reflect the lives of black folks who went to Beaumont, Vashon, Soldan, or other institutions that they were able to attend in what was a segregated St. Louis. ere were blacks in St. Louis since its inception and founding. They worked on the riverboats. they were draymen, laborers, laundresses, and servants. they helped establish St. Louis. They were slaves and 'free'. They endured the perils of the Civil War and its aftermath. They were citizens of St. Louis with their own culture and society. ere were ordinary folks and those of the black aristocracy. Who were the black folks that helped establish St. Louis and its history? There is very little recorded history about them. Where did they live? What did they do for a living? What about their social lives and their interactions with each other and the white residents of St. Louis? A population list from the year 1872 accompanies this narrative and shows where they lived and what they did for a living.