DeMenil Mansion

DeMenil Mansion. Cherokee-Lemp Historic District. This imposing Greek Revival Mansion began in 1848 with the construction of a four room farmhouse by Henri Chatillon and his then wife Odile Delor Lux Chatillon. They built their home facing Carondelet Avenue, the road that linked St. Louis with Carondelet, the town their grandfather founded. Cousins Henri and Odile were still newlyweds, having married after both were widowed, when they built the house., Soon after moving to their new home, the publication of Francis Parkman's classic, The Oregon Trail, catapulted Henri Chatillon to national fame. Chatillon had served as wilderness guide to Parkman on his journey of, "observing Indian character," in 1846. Parkman called Chatillon, "my true-hearted friend," and wrote of his wilderness wisdom., Parkman described Chatillon on their first meeting, "...a fine athletic figure, mounted on a hardy gray Wyandot pony. He wore a white blanket coat, a broad hat of felt, moccasins, and trousers of deer skin, ornamented along the seams with rows of long fringes. His knife was stuck in his belt; his bullet pouch and powderhorn hung at his side, and his rifle lay before him, resting against the high pommel of his saddle, which, like all his equipment, had seen hard service, and was much the worse for the wear.", Chatillon's farmouse that eventually became a mansion , the Chatillon-DeMenil Mansion , was threatened with demolition to make way for Interstate 55. Public outcry saved the landmark and it is now open for guided tours.