Kirkwood’s History Explored in New Book

MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - June 24, 2013 - PRLog -- The newest addition to Arcadia Publishing’s Images of America series is Kirkwood from local author Vicki Berger Erwin for the Kirkwood Public Library. The book boasts more than 200 vintage and modern images.

In St. Louis in the 1850s, citizens were tiring of the crowded and unhealthy conditions of urban living, but there were few convenient alternatives for those who worked in the city. When the Pacific Railroad decided to build a line through an outlying area then known as Collins Station, Hiram Leffingwell and Richard Elliott seized an opportunity and bought the surrounding land. Using Leffingwell’s experience in planning additions to the city, he and Elliott developed the first planned suburban community west of the Mississippi River.

The area was named Kirkwood after the chief engineer for the Pacific Railroad, James Kirkwood, who chose the railroad’s route. Kirkwood was officially incorporated in 1865.

Today, it is still referred to as the “Queen of the Suburbs” for its housing stock, convenient transportation, shopping and excellent schools. Images of America: Kirkwood allows readers to see rarely before seen images that shed light on the area’s unique past.

Topics covered in Kirkwood include:
•   Trains
•   Meramec Highlands
•   Business district
•   Library and Schools
•   Activities
•   Buildings and Churches

Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at (888)-313-2665 or online.  

Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States.  Our mission is to make history accessible and meaningful through the publication of books on the heritage of America’s people and places.  Have we done a book on your town?  Visit www.arcadiapublishing.com/.