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Comments (0) By Paul Friswold Wednesday, Jan 2 2008

St. Louis has a plethora of old homes; entire neighborhoods that were built a century ago still stand. Post-World War II building-boom homes abound, and stately single-family houses stud the older sections of town. The city's a veritable gold mine of history if you just know where to look. And archivist Dennis Northcott knows exactly where you should begin searching if you're curious about the people who once called your house home. Northcott shares his knowledge in House History 101, a class at the Missouri Historical Society Library and Research Center (225 South Skinker Boulevard). Learn how city directories, census records and historic maps — all part of the MHS collection of data — can help you discover the people who shaped the history of St. Louis. These records will also reveal if any of 'em slept in your bedroom: Who knows what sort of big machers were conceived where you now keep your dirty laundry pile? House History 101 takes place at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 12. The class costs $5 to $10, and you can make a reservation by calling 314-361-9017.
Sat., Jan. 12, 2008

Do you live in the Arcade Building? Here's what it used to look like.

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Correction published 1/29/08: The caption that originally accompanied this sketch was incorrectly identified as the one-time interior of the Merchandise Mart Apartments; in fact, the sketch is of the interior of the Arcade Building. The above caption reflects this correction.