This Month in Missouri History

A Lincoln letter about slavery, Will Rogers dies

During a river trip to St. Louis, President Lincoln got a personal glimpse of slavery. He wrote of his "continued torment" in a letter to a friend.

Humorist Will Rogers died in 1935. His connection to St. Louis included performances with the Zack Mulhall's Wild West Show.

Other people and events with August anniversaries included the death of St. Louis' first millionaire John Mullanphy, start of construction of the St. Louis Lunatic Asylum and the opening of the St. Louis Stock Exchange.

(Each month, the Missouri History Museum finds historical dates from the current month. Then, Young Saint Louis.com brings them to you for your enjoyment and study. For more about the state's history, visit www.mohistory.com.)

Lincoln's letter on Slavery

Abraham Lincoln

In 1841, Abraham Lincoln and a friend, Joshua Speed, took a riverboat trip from Louisville, KY, to St. Louis via the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.

In a letter to Speed on Aug. 24, 1855, Lincoln recounted that trip where they got a personal look at what slavery meant in people terms.

In part, Lincoln wrote, "You may remember, as I well do, that from Louisville to the mouth of the Ohio, there were, on board, 10 or a dozen slaves, shackled together with irons. That sight was a continued torment to me."

Joshua Speed

A year before the letter was written, Congress reached a Missouri Compromise that allowed Missouri to be admitted as a state. At that time, states were admitted in pairs to keep the balance of free and slave states.

When Missouri was recognized as a state, Maine also was admitted as a free state.

For a copy of the complete letter to Speed, visit: http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/speeches/
speed.htm

Will Rogers

Humorist Will Rogers dies

Will Rogers was one of those humorists whose performances always included lessons about real life. Rogers died on Aug. 15, 1935.

In St. Louis, Rogers worked as a performer in Zack Mulhall's Wild West Show.

For more about Roger's life and the show, visit: http://digital.library.okstate.
edu/encyclopedia/entries/
R/RO021.html

 

St. Louis Stock Exchange opens

In August, 1899, the St. Louis Stock Exchange was organized as an offshoot of the Merchant Exchange, giving St. Louis its own stock trading for a short period of time.

Over the years, there has been much consolidation of both stock and commodity trading and the St. Louis Exchange didn't survive.

For information on the St. Louis Exchange, visit: http://books.google.com/
books?id= ej8VAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA148&lpg=PA148&dq= St.+Louis+August+1899&source=bl&ots=iSPgSckZGm&sig=
xywReP_lILiWw0OOyz_uGzI-Yzs&hl=en&ei=9bBsSt2jF4T6M
ba89fgG&sa= X&oi=book_result&ct=result &resnum=4

For a brief history of the Merchant Exchange, visit: http://www.scripophily.net/merexofstlou1.html

For a history of stock exchanges, visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stock_exchange

St. Louis' first millionaire dies

John Mullanphy

On Aug. 29, 1833, John Mullanphy died. He is considered to be St. Louis' first millionaire.

He made his fortune in selling cotton. His name still appeared around St. Louis on such things as streets and schools.

He is buried in Calvary Cemetery.

For more on Mullanphy's wealth, visit: http://www.immigrantmillionaire.com/2009/06/01/john-mullanphy-first-millionaire-of-american-west%E2%80%99s/

Local Lunatic Asylum begins

St. Louis Lunatic Asylum

Work began on construction of the St. Louis Lunatic Asylum in August, 1864. It was the second governmental facility in the state to serve this mentally-ill population.

The field of psychiatric medicine was in its infancy at this time and asylums were the first hospitals to serve the mentally ill.

The architect for the facility was William Rumbold.

For the story of the asylum, visit: http://www.dmh.missouri.gov/slprc/History.htm

For more of the history of asylums, visit: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/221343/the_history_of
_early_insane _asylums.html?cat=47