Black History in Maryland Heights
Maryland Heights has stood as both a thriving community of diversity and a destination for entertainment in the St. Louis region, long before it was an incorporated city. It is clear, as we look back, that our community has a rich history as a welcoming place for all to gather, connect, and express cultures and religion. This identity was built long ago and remains as the unifying heartbeat of our City today.
Bolton’s Oak Grove and Musick Baptist Church are two prominent historic sites that each provided space for Black locals to build community. Whether it was for a few decades or centuries, these sites have seen much of our region's history unfold.
"What has been uncovered by us pales in comparison to the potential impact it has on those who love to learn history, particularly in the place they call home," said James Surgeon, City Council Member, Ward 1. "A Black man [Bolton] had the vision, but this and all other history is too rich to be regulated to one month out of the year."
We hope that this quick glimpse towards the past gives you a deeper appreciation for your City’s history and ignites a passion for its future.
Bolton's Oak Grove
Owned by well-known businessman and coal merchant, A.J. Bolton, Bolton’s Oak Grove was a multipurpose, private park that opened in 1940. The parks spanned 25 acres southeast of Dorsett Rd. and Fee Fee Creek, near the present day Government Center.
“The site is a true grove, well-shaded and sloped,” said Ina McFadden in a July 1940 opinion column of the St. Louis
Argus newspaper.
In a time when much of the St. Louis area was still segregated, Bolton’s Grove served as a highly-desired destination away from the city for the Black community to enjoy the outdoors and host events.
Bolton's Grove was only a 20 minute drive from the City. The space featured a five-acre baseball diamond, a dance pavilion, an orchestra stand, badminton and tennis courts, a swimming pool, horseback riding, carnival rides and food vendors. It welcomed reservations for all occasions—private parties, public and private picnics, banquets, weddings, and political functions.
Bolton’s Oak Grove became quite the hot spot for live music, welcoming popular musicians such as William “Count” Basie, Chuck Berry, Ike and Tina Turner, “Little Milton” Campbell, B.B. King, and Little Willie John. Cars would line Dorsett Rd. for over a mile, with attendees eager to see the renowned performers.
“It was the only place in St. Louis County where Black people could come to be entertained, and they brought [artists] in from all over…,” said James “Jim” Dean Sanders in the 2010 edition of The History of Maryland Heights by Paul H. Thompson. “In the summertime on Friday and Saturday Nights, that place was something because it would be so busy. I used to sit on the bridge and listen to those musicians all night long. You could hear it all over town.”
Musick Baptist Church
Established decades before the Civil War in 1811, Musick Baptist Church began as a congregation of enslaved people.
According to oral tradition, Rev. Thomas Musick, plantation owner and founder of Fee Fee Baptist Church, was touched by the religious singing of his slaves. This moved him to gift a parcel of land for the slaves to build a church of their own at the southern end of the plantation.
There, they built a log cabin in the spot still occupied by Musick Baptist Church and its cemetery two centuries later. With this, Musick Baptist has been noted by historians as the oldest Black church west of the Mississippi River.
"The church's cemetery contains scattered graves, most of them unmarked, undoubtedly containing many remains of enslaved people," said Julie D. Nicolai in her book, title Enslavement and the Underground Rail Road in Missouri
and Illinois.
Through most of its 213 years of existence, Musick Baptist Church served as one of the few churches where Black people in the area could worship. The congregation, to this day, is still an active community, welcoming members and visitors through its vibrant red doors.
Each year on its anniversary, the church receives a proclamation from the Mayor of Maryland Heights, declaring October 8 Musick Baptist Church Day.
Bolton’s Oak Grove and Musick Baptist Church are two prominent historic sites that each provided space for Black locals to build community. Whether it was for a few decades or centuries, these sites have seen much of our region's history unfold.
"What has been uncovered by us pales in comparison to the potential impact it has on those who love to learn history, particularly in the place they call home," said James Surgeon, City Council Member, Ward 1. "A Black man [Bolton] had the vision, but this and all other history is too rich to be regulated to one month out of the year."
We hope that this quick glimpse towards the past gives you a deeper appreciation for your City’s history and ignites a passion for its future.
Bolton's Oak GroveOwned by well-known businessman and coal merchant, A.J. Bolton, Bolton’s Oak Grove was a multipurpose, private park that opened in 1940. The parks spanned 25 acres southeast of Dorsett Rd. and Fee Fee Creek, near the present day Government Center.
“The site is a true grove, well-shaded and sloped,” said Ina McFadden in a July 1940 opinion column of the St. Louis
Argus newspaper.
In a time when much of the St. Louis area was still segregated, Bolton’s Grove served as a highly-desired destination away from the city for the Black community to enjoy the outdoors and host events.
Bolton's Grove was only a 20 minute drive from the City. The space featured a five-acre baseball diamond, a dance pavilion, an orchestra stand, badminton and tennis courts, a swimming pool, horseback riding, carnival rides and food vendors. It welcomed reservations for all occasions—private parties, public and private picnics, banquets, weddings, and political functions.
Bolton’s Oak Grove became quite the hot spot for live music, welcoming popular musicians such as William “Count” Basie, Chuck Berry, Ike and Tina Turner, “Little Milton” Campbell, B.B. King, and Little Willie John. Cars would line Dorsett Rd. for over a mile, with attendees eager to see the renowned performers.
“It was the only place in St. Louis County where Black people could come to be entertained, and they brought [artists] in from all over…,” said James “Jim” Dean Sanders in the 2010 edition of The History of Maryland Heights by Paul H. Thompson. “In the summertime on Friday and Saturday Nights, that place was something because it would be so busy. I used to sit on the bridge and listen to those musicians all night long. You could hear it all over town.”
Musick Baptist ChurchEstablished decades before the Civil War in 1811, Musick Baptist Church began as a congregation of enslaved people.
According to oral tradition, Rev. Thomas Musick, plantation owner and founder of Fee Fee Baptist Church, was touched by the religious singing of his slaves. This moved him to gift a parcel of land for the slaves to build a church of their own at the southern end of the plantation.
There, they built a log cabin in the spot still occupied by Musick Baptist Church and its cemetery two centuries later. With this, Musick Baptist has been noted by historians as the oldest Black church west of the Mississippi River.
"The church's cemetery contains scattered graves, most of them unmarked, undoubtedly containing many remains of enslaved people," said Julie D. Nicolai in her book, title Enslavement and the Underground Rail Road in Missouri
and Illinois.
Through most of its 213 years of existence, Musick Baptist Church served as one of the few churches where Black people in the area could worship. The congregation, to this day, is still an active community, welcoming members and visitors through its vibrant red doors.
Each year on its anniversary, the church receives a proclamation from the Mayor of Maryland Heights, declaring October 8 Musick Baptist Church Day.