We returned to one of the most isolated corners of St. Louis County, the small hamlet that goes by different names, including St. Paul (the eponymous road that leads to it), Sherman (the name of the beach there), and Jedburgh (so named by the railroad to avoid confusion with Hermann, Missouri). It was probably a small resort community, as this cottage, named Elmhurst suggests.
Sadly, I confirmed that the nice little farmhouse up on the hill was in fact gone, lost to fire.
The small Baptist church continues to hold services, in a building I suspect is from the 1940s or 50s, but made to look older with salvaged stained glass.
But continuing past the lowlands, and you begin to head up into the hills. It’s beautiful, and incredibly wooded, back here.
Here and there, old farmhouses and collapsing barns show the signs of habitation. Who lives back here? It’s so far off the beaten track. But it’s so fascinating to see a corner of the county so preserved and untouched by sprawl.
