The Sappington
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Dressel Home
John Sappington Jr, a Revolutionary War Veteran, had 18 children, the oldest of which was Zephaniah. Sometime between 1804 and 1810 Zephaniah Sappington (1781-1857) constructed this house a few miles Southwest of St. Louis where he also operated a two-horse gristmill and collected taxes.
During the War of 1812, Zephaniah served as a private in Capt. Alexander Nair's Regiment of Mounted Louisiana Riflemen. The Sappington families were some of the earliest pioneers to settle and develop the area now known as south St. Louis County.
The home remained in the Sappington family until purchased by Henry Dressel in 1887. Henry's son, John M. Dressel (1886-1988) was 9 months old when he moved into the house, and he lived there for the next 100 yrs. John Dressel was a co-founder of the Gravois Bank in 1913. He was also on the Sappington School board starting in 1927 and was very instrumental in the consolidation of 5 small districts to form the Lindbergh School District. The meeting to draft the incorporation charter for the new district was held around the fireplace in the drawing room of this home in 1950. Mr. Dressel served as president of the Lindbergh District until 1958.
In 1987, the Sappington/Drexel home was in danger of demolition due to development of the property. The Jefferson Barracks Civil War Historical Association, represented by Bob Pecoraro and Barney Combs, worked with Adam Jones of K&A Realty and Randal Andrae of the Historic Daniel Boone Home, Inc., in Defiance, MO to save the home from being demolished.
The home was dismantled in just 104 days in the late winter and early spring of 1988 and moved to Boonesfield Village. In 1998, Randall Andrae and his wife Alean made a major donation of the property to Lindenwood University. Dr. Dennis C. Spellman, President of Lindenwood University, began as aggressive schedule to reconstruct historic buildings on the property. Descendants of the John M. Dressel family significantly funded the restoration of the home. The Sappington/Dressel Home was rededicated on October 21, 2000. It will continue to reflect the community service and citizenship of its previous occupants.
Topics.
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Location. 38° 39.048′ N, 90° 51.162′ W. Marker is near Defiance, Missouri, in St. Charles County. It can be reached from State Highway F 0.3 miles south of Boone Ridge Trail, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1868 Hwy F, Defiance MO 63341, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Missouri River Corridor and in Greater St. Louis. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, in the Corn Belt, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Daniel Boone Home (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Boone Home Construction
Credits. This page was last revised on March 27, 2021. It was originally submitted on March 26, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 1,371 times since then and 102 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 26, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
