“127-year-old Black schoolhouse finds new home in Faust Park Historic Village”

AUTHOR: Nick Robertson
DATE: August 10, 2021

CHESTERFIELD — Faust Park Historic Village will add a new dimension this year to its portrayal of local history — a 127-year-old, one-room schoolhouse for African American students.

The process to move African School House No. 4, as it is known in the historical record, from its foundation at a private residence on Wild Horse Creek Road to Faust Park began Monday. The schoolhouse was built in 1894 and is the oldest Black schoolhouse standing in Missouri, according to the county parks foundation.

Work to dismantle the 15-by-19-foot log building began Monday. The effort to reassemble it next to the Alt School House at the historic village about 4 miles away will take place in the coming weeks. The parks department expects restoration of the building to be complete by spring. It will broaden the history presented at Faust Park, curator Lori Ritchey said.

“We don’t have any buildings which are purely African American-related. It’s something we’ve always wanted to interpret, but we haven’t been able to,” she said. “This will go right next to the white school, and it shows the African American side of history. That’s not something we’ve been able to do beyond talk about the slaves in the houses we have. It will be an amazing addition.”