Oakville in St. Louis County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Mr. and Mrs. Eugene D. Nims Country Place

Photographed by Jason Voigt, July 11, 2022

1. Mr. and Mrs. Eugene D. Nims Country Place Marker

Inscription.

Mr. and Mrs. Eugene D. Nims Country Place. . , Bee Tree County Park was originally the estate of Eugene and Lotawana Nims. Eugene was founder of Southwestern Bell Telephone Company. They had this mansion built in 1929 by famed architecture firm Maritz and Young and used it as a weekend retreat. In addition, they maintained the property as an active farm, growing fruits and vegetables and raising livestock. The house, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017, was designed in the Tudor Revival style for which Maritz and Young were well known and incorporating features that take advantage of the building's scenic location. The name "Bee Tree" was given to the estate by the Nims. Its origin was explained in a 1936 article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch saying "On the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River just above its confluence with the Meramec stands Bee Tree Farm, the country place of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Nims. Their nephew, Thomas Ratcliffe, named it when it was first built because of the bees he saw swarming about the grove of white oaks.", The 199-acre property was purchased from the Nims estate by St. Louis County in April 1968 with funds donated by the Open Space Foundation, in partnership with the Open Space Council, along with matching Federal Funds. Bee Tree Park is truly a hidden gem in St. Louis County. It boasts the historic and beautiful Nims Mansion, scenic trails, and a fully stocked lake with an accessible fishing dock. The park features a memorial garden and fountain dedicated to Lindell Gordon, who passed away during the fund raising and a Mississippi River overlook dedicated to R. Walston Chubb. Gordon and Chubb were instrumental in helping raise money for the park's purchase. , Currently, the Nims Mansion sits vacant, but as the renderings from Fox Architects demonstrate, there is magnificent potential for the house as a bed and breakfast, restaurant, wedding venue, or something else entirely. Making this a reality requires action to restore this landmark to its original grandeur and , (the text was cut off at the frame), (aside:), The goal of the newly formed Saint Louis County Parks Foundation (SLCPF) is to improve the County Park system for the benefit of all county residents by funding projects that will help all 71 parks in the Saint Louis County system. One of the projects is to restore some of the wonderful architectural prizes that are part of our county parks. Among them is the Nims Mansion in Bee Tree Park., Learn how to support our efforts and donate now. , stlouiscountyparksfoundation.org

Bee Tree County Park was originally the estate of Eugene and Lotawana Nims. Eugene was founder of Southwestern Bell Telephone Company. They had this mansion built in 1929 by famed architecture firm Maritz and Young and used it as a weekend retreat. In addition, they maintained the property as an active farm, growing fruits and vegetables and raising livestock. The house, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017, was designed in the Tudor Revival style for which Maritz and Young were well known and incorporating features that take advantage of the building's scenic location. The name "Bee Tree" was given to the estate by the Nims. Its origin was explained in a 1936 article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch saying "On the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River just above its confluence with the Meramec stands Bee Tree Farm, the country place of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Nims. Their nephew, Thomas Ratcliffe, named it when it was first built because of the bees he saw swarming about the grove of white oaks."

The 199-acre property was purchased from the Nims estate by St. Louis County in April 1968 with funds donated by the Open Space Foundation, in partnership with the Open Space Council, along with matching Federal Funds. Bee Tree Park is truly a hidden gem in St. Louis County. It boasts the historic

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and beautiful Nims Mansion, scenic trails, and a fully stocked lake with an accessible fishing dock. The park features a memorial garden and fountain dedicated to Lindell Gordon, who passed away during the fund raising and a Mississippi River overlook dedicated to R. Walston Chubb. Gordon and Chubb were instrumental in helping raise money for the park's purchase.

Currently, the Nims Mansion sits vacant, but as the renderings from Fox Architects demonstrate, there is magnificent potential for the house as a bed and breakfast, restaurant, wedding venue, or something else entirely. Making this a reality requires action to restore this landmark to its original grandeur and

(the text was cut off at the frame)

(aside:)

The goal of the newly formed Saint Louis County Parks Foundation (SLCPF) is to improve the County Park system for the benefit of all county residents by funding projects that will help all 71 parks in the Saint Louis County system. One of the projects is to restore some of the wonderful architectural prizes that are part of our county parks. Among them is the Nims Mansion in Bee Tree Park.

Learn how to support our efforts and donate now.
stlouiscountyparksfoundation.org

Erected by St. Louis County Parks and St. Louis County Parks Foundation.

Topics. This historical

Photographed by Jason Voigt, July 11, 2022

2. Mr. and Mrs. Eugene D. Nims Country Place Marker

Marker is in front of the mansion at Bee Tree Park.

marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1968.

Location. 38° 24.585′ N, 90° 19.488′ W. Marker is in Oakville, Missouri, in St. Louis County. It is on Finestown Avenue, on the right when traveling south. Marker is located in front of the mansion at Bee Tree Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2741 Finestown Ave, Saint Louis MO 63129, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is 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 Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

the Louisiana Purchase,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Bring Us Home (approx. 3.1 miles away); Flame of Freedom (approx. 3.1 miles away); POW * MIA (approx. 3.4 miles away); V.F.W. Post 2593 Remembers (approx. 3.4 miles away); Dedicated to all those that made the supreme sacrifice (approx. 3.4 miles away); In Honor of Those Who Made the Ultimate Sacrifice (approx. 3½ miles away); Fountain, Illinois (approx. 3.6 miles away in Illinois); El Camino Real (approx. 3.6 miles away).

Regarding Mr. and Mrs. Eugene D. Nims Country Place. The link for Saint Louis County Parks Foundation is dead as of July 2022.

Also see . . .

Nims Mansion image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jason Voigt, July 11, 2022

3. Nims Mansion

The mansion has sat empty for many years, though it has been tried to keep in shape by the Saint Louis County Parks department.

Bee Tree Park. From the Saint Louis County Parks' website. Park information and history can be found here. (Submitted on July 11, 2022, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois.)

Credits. This page was last revised on May 4, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 11, 2022, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois. This page has been viewed 1,325 times since then and 97 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 11, 2022, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois.