Maplewood, MO

While visiting our daughter, Leah, who lives in Maplewood, MO, I took a walk around the neighborhood to photograph places with a "family" connection. ALL of these places were taken on one walk---Leah was totally unaware of the family connection when she bought her house there.

Around the corner from her is currently a hot night spot called Jive and Wail, managed by a friend of Rachel's. Upstairs was once the beauty school whe re my mother Louise Wicker Long attended in the 1950's.
Then, a block down Manchester Road is an auto dealership. My grandfather James Wesley Wicker once worked at an auto dealership at that location in the 1940's-1950's. It was probably a Buick or Pontiac dealership at that time, though. "Wes" was an auto mechanic---the only dealership name I can recall was Burns Buick--not sure if that was in South St. Louis or in Maplewood.

Leah lives on Maple Avenue. When Mother first came to St. Louis at 18, she lived in this house also on Maple Avenue which was divided during the 1930's and 1940' s for multiple families.



My mother and father also lived on Maple Avenue when they were first married. This apartment is just down the street from Leah's house. Mother said Dad, Le Roy Long, used to go out on those tiny little balconies to study for his exams for the boilermaker trade.Maplewood is becoming an "up and coming" neighborhood with many people converting those multiple family dwellings into single family homes again. Leah and Todd's home, pictured at the top, was a two family flat which they've converted into a single family home. For more information on the town, click here . I'm happy that Mother lived long enough to see what a lovely neighborhood it has become and to see her granddaughter return to her old neighborhood.