Ballwin, Missouri
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Ballwin is a city located in St. Louis County, Missouri. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 31,283.
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Geography
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Location of Ballwin, Missouri
Ballwin is located at 38°35'41" North, 90°32'54" West (38.594820, -90.548420)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 23.2 km² (8.9 mi²). 23.2 km² (8.9 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 31,283 people, 11,797 households, and 8,942 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,349.5/km² (3,494.6/mi²). There are 12,062 housing units at an average density of 520.4/km² (1,347.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 93.39% White, 1.50% African American, 0.22% Native American, 3.27% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 1.07% from two or more races. 1.86% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 11,797 households out of which 37.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.6% are married couples living together, 8.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 24.2% are non-families. 20.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.65 and the average family size is 3.09.
In the city the population is spread out with 27.0% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $66,458, and the median income for a family is $77,021. Males have a median income of $56,056 versus $32,202 for females. The per capita income for the city is $29,520. 3.2% of the population and 2.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 3.1% of those under the age of 18 and 3.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
History
Ballwin is a unique name for a City. In fact, it is the only City in the United States with its spelling (BALLWIN, NOT BALDWIN). The City was founded by John Ball, son of James Ball and Mary Bray Ball of Virginia and Kentucky. His father, James, who came to America from Dublin, Ireland, served in the 4th and 8th Virginia Regiments during the Revolutionary War. Because of his military service, he was given a military land warrant and moved to this new land in Kentucky after the war. Reportedly, James was a friend of Daniel Boone.
Around 1797 or 1798, our founder, John Ball, moved to the West St. Louis County area, possibly at the same time as the Daniel Boone party moved to and settled in the St. Charles, Warren County areas. Records now preserved in Jefferson City show the transfer of title of about 400 acres of land along Grande Glaize Creek to John Ball in February, 1800. This is the first official record of John Ball in the West County area.
Since John Ball's property claim was derived originally from a Spanish land grant, and was land that was at the time under Spanish rule, the Louisiana Purchase raised doubts about property ownership. It took several hearings and appeals and ten years for John Ball to clear his claim to the land that would eventually become the town of Ballwin.
In 1826, Missouri moved its capital to Jefferson City. Soon there was a need for an overland mail route between St. Louis and the new capital. As luck would have it, this new road was established along a route that passed by John Ball's property. After the road, known at times as Jefferson Road, Market Road and Manchester Road, became established, John Ball decided to capitalize on the accessibility it provided for his property, and laid out a town.
The town was originally recorded as "Ballshow", but two days later, on February 9, 1837, Ball amended the recorded plat to be named Ballwin. No one knows for sure why the name was changed, but one of John Ball's great grandsons says it was the result of a rivalry with neighboring Manchester. John Ball saw great things ahead for his new town and was confident that it would "win out" in reputation and growth over its older and more prominent neighbor, two miles to the east. Hence the "win" was incorporated into the name.
In the years that followed, Ballwin has grown from the town John Ball knew with only a few homes and businesses, to a small village of 750 people when it was incorporated on December 29, 1950, to a thriving City of 27,000 today. John Ball's vision of Ballwin as the leading City in the West County area has been realized.
The Barn At Lucerne
A landmark of yesterdays rural countryside has become a landmark of today's booming suburban life in the Barn at Lucerne at Clayton and Kehr’s Mill Roads.
The barn was built in 1916 for the Ganahl family and was designed by Spernelli, a Swiss architect. (The Henry Bopp family had owned the property. but the Ganahls bought it from a firm called Schisler and Corneli.) It was one of the first large dairy barns in the country and the largest in the state. Built of a reinforced concrete shell, the 50,000 square foot barn had steel window sash, running water, electric lights and fireproofing. It was home to the finest of dairy cattle. Ganahl ran the dairy for 15 years and then sold it to an investment group of whom a member was Firmin Desloge. In 1941, St. Louis Dairy took over. The operation was eventually absorbed by Sealtest before its use as a dairy barn came to an end. It sat idle except for a time when it was used as an antique auto museum.
In 1968, a fire of undetermined cause damaged the barn extensively. Vandalism, and its accompanying expense, continued well into the beginnings of the project of changing the barn into a shopping center. In 1974, shops and restaurant spaces were made from the old stalls and from buildings added to augment the old structure.
John Ball City's founding Father
Most Ballwin residents are probably unaware that our City's founding Father, John Ball, is not buried within the boundaries of the City he founded back in 1837. On the night of August 31, 1859, John Ball passed away after a long illness. He was buried in Block 16 of the Community Burial Grounds that he had set aside for such purposes when he laid out the town of Ballwin, twenty-two years earlier. But, as we all know, nothing gets in the way of progress, especially during that time in our county's history. Several years later, the path of Missouri Highway 100 (Manchester Road) was changed, taking up part of Block 16 and the monuments and remains of those buried there were moved to other cemeteries. Highway 100, the Masonic Hall and several homes now occupy Block 16. The markers and remains of John Ball and his wife, Mary, were moved to the Methodist cemetery in Manchester next to Woods Mill Road, thus completing the final chapter in the story of John Ball of Ballwin.
Founder's Father A Patriot
James Ball, the Father of Ballwin's founder John Ball, was born in 1749 in Dublin, Ireland. As a young man, he emigrated to America and settled in Virginia in an area that is now West Virginia. In 1776, James Ball joined the patriot forces, enlisting from Hampshire County, Virginia, and first served in the 4th Virginia Regiment, commanded by Col. James Wood. He was later transferred to the 8th Virginia Regiment under Capt. Robert Gamele and Col. William Vauses company. James Ball was wounded in the Battle of Brandywine and also saw action at Germantown and Stoney Point, as he fought for our country's independence.
Manchester Road Established - 1826
In 1826, the Missouri State Legislature moved to Jefferson City, making it the new state capital. One of the first orders of business after the move was to supplement the Missouri River access to the capital with an overland route. Soon an overland mail route between St. Louis and Jefferson City was established. At first the post road was a narrow bridle trail, and perhaps originally was an Indian trail. After successive improvements, in 1836, the State Legislature upgraded the road's designation to a coach road, and it was known for a time as "Old State Road," but later as Manchester Road. By 1837, Manchester Road was a well traveled passage, and the mail route from St. Louis was along it through such Post Office stops as Manchester, Point Labadie, and Union. What is the significance of all this discussion of Manchester Road? The significance is that this new road happened to pass by John Ball's property, and because of this accessibility, Ball laid out a town in 1836 - 1837. It consisted of 17 lots with 4 lots per block. The town was recorded in St. Louis on February 9, 1837, and was the beginning of Ballwin as we know it today. Would Ballwin exist today if Manchester Road had not been established as an overland route by the Missouri legislature? It's only a guess, but without a road to provide access, it's unlikely that John Ball would have founded Ballwin, and the history of West St. Louis County would be different.
Manchester Road History
When people from other areas of St. Louis County think of the City of Ballwin, they naturally picture busy Manchester Road, with its seemingly endless number of retail stores and businesses. Manchester Road truly is the lifeline of the City of Ballwin, as it has been since our very beginning. The road itself has a very long and interesting history. It first was called Rue Bonhomme during French control of the area. At that time, it was an extension of a street in St. Louis platted Market Street, which farmers used to carry produce to market on the St. Louis riverfront. This old Market Street was located about one-fourth mile north of the present road. In 1835, the St. Louis County Court approved an act to lay out Manchester Road, and in 1839, Manchester road had its establishment provided for by the Missouri General Assembly. The General Assembly made Manchester Road the first official State road in St. Louis County in order to provide an overland medium between Jefferson City and St. Louis. This is probably why it is shown on some early maps of the area as Jefferson Road. John Ball, Ballwin's founder, built his home on Manchester Road and laid out his town around it. From that time until today, Manchester Road has become Ballwin's lifeline ' One only needs to see the Chamber of Commerce bumper sticker which reads "I Love Manchester Road," to see that Manchester is as important today as it ever has been.
Manchester Road Expanded
Manchester Road's expansion to four lanes in 1963 was marked by a mammoth ribbon cutting at the eastern city limits of Manchester.
Ballwin Volunteer Fire Department
When the Ballwin Volunteer Fire Department was in its early years back in the'30s, it used a very efficient method of directing late arriving volunteer firemen to the scene of the fire. When the fire truck went out on a call, the men would drop little bags of lime out onto the road just before and just after making a turn. The volunteers following, as soon as they could, would follow the trail made by the broken bags of lime. The volunteer Fire Department was organized in 1933 and was the forerunner of our current Ballwin Fire District.
The Ballwin Bus Line
In the early part of the 20th century, traveling around the West County area was not as easy as walking out to your car in the garage and driving down the street to the destination you desired. This was an area of poor roads and a lack of public or private transportation options. Coming forward to provide a public transportation option was John F. Bopp, who ran the livery stable and Ballwin's first bus line. His bus line carried mail, as well as passengers, beginning around the turn of the century. At first, he transported passengers from Ballwin to Barrett's Station, and the mail from Ballwin and Manchester to Barrett's Station, making two round trips daily. This connected Ballwin and Manchester residents with the Missouri Pacific Railway at Barrett's Station. Later he extended his route to the Meramec Highlands, which enabled his passengers to commute to St. Louis via the street car. His first horseless bus was an International. When the street car ceased running to Meramec Highlands in the 1920's, he extended his route to Maplewood. He continued the daily run to Maplewood until his death in 1934, and his daughter, Helen, continued with the service car to Maplewood until she died in 1961.
The Ballwin Hotel
In the later part of the 19th century, Ballwin had an assortment of businesses along Manchester Road. The number and variety were not comparable to today's Highway 100, but for the times, it was a very prosperous stretch of road. One of the businesses was the Ballwin Hotel (also known as the Western Hotel or the Kling Hotel). The hotel was originally owned by Mr. Charles Busch, and later by his wife, Anne Elizabeth Busch Kling, after his death. The hotel was a very impressive structure with a veranda across the front and west side, and was located at the southeast corner of Manchester and Fremont St., where Midas Muffler is currently located. At the turn of the century, cycling groups would bike out from the city and spend Saturday night at the hotel. After spending a pleasant night at the hotel, the groups would return to St. Louis on Sunday. At times during its existence, the Ballwin Hotel included a dry goods/grocery/hardware store within its walls.
Mr. Edward Blinne
In this age of specialization when people depend on the Yellow Pages and the telephone to find someone skilled in a particular field, everytime a need arises, it's almost beyond our comprehension to find how self reliant and talented our forefathers were. Ballwin, of course, is no exception with many very talented individuals who seemingly could handle any problem or fill any role that needed filling. One of these individuals was Ballwin businessman Edward Blinne. Mr. Blinne was the son of a Gasconade County farmer, who, with his wife, Dorothea, ran a general store in Ballwin, beginning in 1903. When his store burned down in 1912, with the help of many friends, he rebuilt, and the new building still stands (Surburban Office Supply). In addition to his business and construction skills, Mr. Blinne, who had attended Central Wesleyan College in Warrenton, was elected and served as Justice of the Peace of Bonhomme Township three times. It was said of him that he was an excellent gardener and cabinet maker. He also ran a gasket manufacturing business in the basement of the store. Other talents included playing cornet in a German band and photography. Where he and Dorthea found the time to raise a family (two children - Rora and Oliver) is definitely a mystery. Next time your life seems a little hectic and out of control, remember Ed Blinne.
Baseball
The City of Ballwin and the game of baseball have been synonymous in St. Louis County for the past sixty odd years. From the day the first ball diamond was laid out in the 1920s to today, Ballwin natives have played and watched amateur baseball with enthusiasm. The first ball diamond was located behind the Schrader Funeral Home. Later sportsmen played baseball at the end of Lincoln St. where Ballwin Elementary School is. When that ground became needed, ball players moved their field of endeavor to the lot where Southwestern Bell now has a building on New Ballwin Road. The move to the modern-day site at Jefferson Road and Lyons Street occurred in 1946, when the Ballwin Athletic Association paid $500 an acre for the then 10-acre site. Four years later, lights were added at the ball field making it the first lighted field in St. Louis County. Ballwin has always fielded strong baseball teams. In the 1950s, the Ballwin team won the St. Louis County League Championship five times. From these teams, two Ballwin players went on to play professional baseball-Hank Arft with the old St. Louis Browns and Don "Red" Loehr with the St. Louis Cardinal organization. Yes, this is the same Red Loehr who has been Ballwin's Chief of Police for over 23 years. In 1972 the Ballwin Post 611 American Legion team won the American Legion National Championship. Players from this team also went on to play professional baseball. Baseball has always played a part in Ballwin's community pride and history.
Woerthers Hardware
Most people who have lived in Ballwin for a period of time are familiar with the Tri-City Auto Part Store at 14834 Manchester Road, but most of us probably are unaware of the long history of this building. The building originally owned by H.W. Karrenbrock, was sold to Casper Woerther and his son Henry in 1898. Over the next several years, the Woerthers built the business into one of the largest hardware and implement stores in St. Louis County. It was said "if you needed a new stove or a graniteware pan, Woerther's had the best selection." Ballwin residents of the era would go to Casper Woerther and Son for such major purchases as a new buggy or surrey, or even a wagon. Cofounder of the business, Henry Woerther, was one of the founding fathers of our City, being on the City's first Village Board of Trustees.