Lemay in St. Louis County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Jefferson Barracks Historic Site
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 20, 2024
1. Jefferson Barracks Historic Site Marker
Brief Historic Timeline
1826 Major Stephen Watts Kearny arrives and construction begins. New post named in honor of Thomas Jefferson.
1828 Jefferson Barracks troops involved in Native American insurrection and protecting traders between Missouri and Santa Fe.
1832 1st Dragoons formed, first permanent cavalry in the United States Army, trained to fight mounted or dismounted. Troops engage in Fox Sac Indian War. Zachary Taylor led troops to confront Chief Black Hawk.
1846-1848 Jefferson Barracks serves as rest and supply station for troops heading to the Mexican-American War.
1851 Old Ordnance Room, Laborers house, and Barn built.
1861-1865 During the American Civil War Jefferson Barracks serves as a military hospital for both sides and recruitment depot for the North. In 1862 the construction starts on the Western Sanitary Commission's Hospital facilities.
1912 Jefferson Barrack the site of the first successful parachute jump from an airplane.
1917 Jefferson Barracks is the largest induction and demobilization center for troops during World War I.
1930s The Citizens Military Training Camp (CMTC) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) both have camps at Jefferson Barracks.
1941-1945
this page online
1950 Air Guard units are activated for the Korean War. Five hundred acres is taken over by St. Louis County Parks and 250 acres added to the National Cemetery.
1970 All Missouri National Guard units in St. Louis are moved to Jefferson Barracks. In 1990 Naval Reserve units also are moved on to the base.
1995-1998 Army Reserves are activated for rotations of Joint Endeavor Guard in Bosnia.
2001-Present Members of the Air National Guard, Army Guard, and Army Reserve are mobilized and deployed in support of Operations Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. The Missouri National Guard will provide motivated, deployable soldiers/airmen and units to meet the military and civil objectives of the Governor of Missouri and the President of the United States.
[Captions]
Top center: Jefferson Barracks on the Mississippi about 1883.
Top right: Circa 1976.
Bottom right 1912 Army Captain Albert Berry makes military history at Jefferson Barracks by being the first military personnel ever to jump out of an Aeroplane using
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 20, 2024
2. Jefferson Barracks Historic Site Marker
Featured marker is in the foreground.
Erected by Friends of Jefferson Barracks Saint Louis County Parks.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Forts and Castles • Military. A significant historical year for this entry is 1826.
Location. 38° 30.372′ N, 90° 16.765′ W. Marker is in Lemay, Missouri, in St. Louis County. It can be reached from Hancock Avenue west of Grant Road, on the right when traveling west. Marker is at the Taco Bell Fitness Course. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 12 Hancock Rd, Saint Louis MO 63125, 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 walking distance of this marker: Jefferson Barracks Historic Site - Parade Ground (a few steps from this marker); The Historic Parade Ground (within shouting distance of this marker); Site of First Parachute Jump (within shouting distance of this marker); WWII M4A3E8 Sherman Tank (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); "The Tower" (approx. 0.2 miles away); U.S. Grant: The St. Louis Years (approx. Ό mile away); Veterans Memorial (approx. Ό mile away); President Abraham Lincoln (approx. Ό mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lemay.
Also see . . .
1. The historic legacy of Jefferson Baracks. Its 1,702 acres along the Mississippi just south of St. Louis was deeded to the U.S. government from ground that belonged to the Carondelet Commons, a 6,000-acre tract of ground extending 10 miles along the river. The purpose was to establish a military base the would replace Fort Bellefontaine, which is located about 20 miles north of St. Louis City. The land was paid for with a $5 gold piece. (Tracey Bruce, West Newsmagazine, May 10, 2022) (Submitted on August 23, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
2. Jefferson Barracks: A History. Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis is more than a cemetery. It's been a working military facility since 1826 sending troops to every war the United States has been involved in from the Blackhawk War in 1832 to Afghanistan. In addition, Jefferson Barracks is regarded as the birthplace of the American Calvary, home of the Buffalo Soldiers, a military hospital and the location of the first successful parachute jump. (HEC Culture, uploaded May 26, 2021) (Submitted on August 23, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
Credits. This page was last revised on May 4, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 23, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 426 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 23, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
