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

Planters

Photographed by Thomas Smith, February 8, 2026

1. Planters Marker

Inscription.
These planters date back to 1913 and were originally home to the Old Frisco Railroad Depot in Valley Park, MO.

When the Frisco Railroad removed the depot in the late 1970's, at the request of Walt Jessen, a retired railroad foreman, the planters were transported by crane to his residence on Forest Avenue.

The City of Valley Park approached the Jessen family about moving the planters back to Frisco Park. The "Jessen Family" all agreed to donate the planters to the city and they have been placed near their original location June 20, 2013

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Horticulture & Forestry • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical date for this entry is June 20, 2013.

Location. 38° 32.976′ N, 90° 29.469′ W. Marker is in Valley Park, Missouri, in St. Louis County. It is on Beckett Memorial Drive north of Marshall Road, on the left when traveling north. The marker stands in Frisco Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5 Beckett Memorial Dr, Valley Park MO 63088, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater St. Louis.

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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 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: 1935 Frisco Caboose (within shouting distance of this marker); Veterans Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away); Simpson Park and the Meramec River Greenway (approx. 1½ miles away); West Barretts Tunnel (approx. 2 miles away); Boston & Albany #39 "Marmora" (approx. 2.1 miles away); Missouri-Kansas-Texas #311 (approx. 2.1 miles away); Pennsylvania #4700 (approx. 2.1 miles away); Brooklyn Rapid Transit #1365 (approx. 2.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Valley Park.

Photographed by Thomas Smith, February 8, 2026

2. Planters Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on February 9, 2026. It was originally submitted on February 8, 2026, by Thomas Smith of Waterloo, Ill. This page has been viewed 29 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 8, 2026, by Thomas Smith of Waterloo, Ill. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.