I absolutely LOVE touring old houses, manors, estates, you name it, if it’s a guided, or even self-guided tour, you can count me in! Well, for years and years, my good friend Cody and I had been talking about visiting one such place: The Campbell House Museum.
This incredible edifice is located in Saint Louis city just between downtown and midtown. It was once the home of fur trader Robert Campbell and his family and as you will see from these photos and hopefully for yourself once you take this tour, the Campbell’s were doing alright for themselves. The museum preserves the home as it would’ve looked in all its Victorian era glory featuring a wealth of the original furnishings, fixtures, and family documents. Let me tell you what, I was astounded by how well the museum has done to restore this home to its classic 1880’s appearance.
Cody himself is a Campbell – probably a direct descendant of Robert’s if I could guess – so it was a real joy for me to be able to tour this outstanding and opulent residence with someone who may very well deserve to inherit it. As you’re about to see from these photos, this place was top notch and absolutely worth the years long wait in visiting…
Showcasing his birthright.
As you can clearly see, there were plenty of vivacious Victorian era decorative arts on display. The carpet, the ceiling, the walls, just the borders were bountiful with beauty, but when you insert the furniture, the place is an absolute masterpiece!
“Never pass a mirror without looking in it.” – Paris Hilton. As someone who loves luxury, I’m sure she would love this home – and appreciated we heeded her advice.
The Campbell House was once the center of St. Louis society and even played host to President Ulysses S. Grant.
The Campbell House is the last remaining residence of the lost St. Louis neighborhood of Lucas Place. If all the other homes of Lucas Place looked like this one, it was definitely where the who’s who in town resided.
Using historic photos and other archival evidence, the museum is able to showcase exactly what it would’ve looked like in the 1880’s.
The details in each of these pieces are just second to none. As you can clearly infer, this family had class and cash to be able to dine and live as they did.
Given their status in the city and their wealth from fur trading, they were able to have the finest and most modern amenities of the time.
This was either the maid’s or the mother-in-law’s bedroom, which is pretty nice all things considered.
There were no shortage of stairwells in this place, which was fine by us, but something to note if one should ever take the tour.
The home is built very narrow and deep onto the property. This is because back at the time of construction, the city only taxed residences on how wide they were, not how long.
The Campbell House Museum is recognized as a historical landmark by the city of St. Louis as well as being designated a National Trust for Historic Preservation.
The Library, definitely would’ve been my favorite room in the home. Wonder if “Shithead” would’ve found an audience in this era?
The master bedroom. Honestly, I love the decor and found everything to be extraordinarily stylishly situated and curated.
A view of the home from the past and…
…the chimney pots that once adorned the roof.
The carriage house on property was full of antique carriages and other means of transportation from the time. It was an unexpected gift honestly as I wasn’t initially aware it was there.
The gardens outside were lovely and definitely something to stop and see in the spring and summer time.
As you can tell, the house is quite large and sprawling. They had several additions built onto the home over the years, but it always maintained its natural elegance.
I would absolutely recommend immersing yourself in a guided tour through St. Louis very own Gilded Age. Our tour guide was top notch and incredibly informative about the home, the grounds, and the city at that time. We learned quite a bit from him and left feeling infinitely wiser – and better – for having visited.
The Campbell House Museum is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. and on Sunday’s from noon to 4:00 p.m.. Mondays, Tuesdays, and other hours are by appointment only. They’re appointment only in January and February and closed most holidays.
The guided tour is $10 and well worth it. One can also become a member of the museum and tour for free with the membership. There are also group rates available.
The Campbell House Museum is located at 1508 Locust Street in the city of St. Louis. There is limited free parking in the lot adjacent to the museum. A handicap entrance to the museum is located on 15th Street and all rooms aside from the Master Bedroom are accessible via elevator. There is also a museum shop on site featuring plenty of interesting items for sale.
The Lou offers so much to do! Check out these other spotlights on Saint Louis:
Working hard everyday towards achieving my goal of becoming an international best-selling author. Wrote the book, just need the agent and publisher. Received the ultimate endorsement when Britney Spears wrote me saying she'd be one of the first in line to buy my book! #FreeBritney
