Faust Park is a 200-acre public park in Chesterfield, Missouri.

History

The land that would one day become Faust Park was originally owned by Frederick Bates, the second Governor of Missouri. In 1819, Bates built an estate on the land called Thornhill. The Thornhill Estate was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1974. In 1968, Leicester Busch Faust acquired 100 acres of land and opened it to the public as a park. By 1995, the park had expanded to be nearly double its original size. Several attractions have since been erected in the park such as the St. Louis Carousel, a Carousel built in the 1920s from a amusement park in

Forest Park A forest park is a park whose main theme is its forest of trees. Forest parks are found both in the mountains and in the urban environment. Examples Chile * Forest Park, Santiago China *Gongqing Forest Park, Shanghai * Mufushan National Fores ...

. After St. Louis Highlands, an amusement park in Forest Park, burned to the ground in 1963, several workers saved what was left and many of the items were brought for display in Faust Park. In 1998,

The Butterfly House ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

was opened to the public. The Butterfly House is operated by

Missouri Botanical Gardens The Missouri Botanical Garden is a botanical garden located at 4344 Shaw Boulevard in St. Louis, Missouri. It is also known informally as Shaw's Garden for founder and philanthropist Henry Shaw. Its herbarium, with more than 6.6 million s ...

Attractions

Faust Park's Thornhill Estate remains one of the oldest structures in

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

and has regularly scheduled tours. The Thornhill Estate is a small replica village depicting the life of people in the area in the 1800s. Faust Park gives interactive tours of the Thornhill Estate which allows visitors to participate in a variety of household chores done by homesteaders of the time. Faust Park also plays host to various festivals such as concerts, food truck fests and Halloween Hayrides

Amenities

The park has a 1.3 mile trail called "Governor Bates Trail". In addition to several other walking trails, the park boasts several pavilions, a playground, a lake, picnic sites, bathrooms, and other historical sites

References

{{Parks of Greater St. Louis 1968 establishments in Missouri Buildings and structures in St. Louis County, Missouri Tourist attractions in St. Louis Parks in Missouri

History

Attractions

Amenities

See also

References