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Florissant Valley Historical Society Celebrating 50th Year Throughout ’08
BY CAROL ARNETT
The Florissant Valley Historical Society is celebrating 50 years of preserving Florissant’s history with a year of celebrations and events including this Saturday’s annual house tour.
Mary Kay Gladbach, who has been active in the historical society since it started, said that the group began the celebration with a Bouillon in January, and will continue with events throughout the year.
The historical society began after the city celebrated its centennial in 1957.
“It was a huge celebration,” Gladbach said, “and the whole town came together.” After the centennial festivities, Henry Evans, who owned the Florissant Reporter, suggested that people concerned with the history of the city keep the centennial momentum going by forming a historical society.
“Our first meeting probably had 15 to 20 people,” Gladbach said. “Several of us were interested in the history of the city and wanted to build on what had been done for the centennial.”
One event of this anniversary year that Gladbach is looking forward to is a tea at Casa Alvarez in August.
“Our first fundraiser fifty years ago was a tea at Casa Alvarez,” Gladbach said.
The society also plans some special exhibits at Taille de Noyer, the historical house with the museum it runs. The museum currently has a quilt exhibit, which will be followed by a teddy bear exhibit and an exhibit of antique toys later in the year.
The society was formed in 1958, and three years later, in 1961, acquired Taille de Noyer. The historic home and property were purchased by the Ferguson-Florissant School District for the expansion of McCluer High School. The historical society raised funds to move the house 200 feet to its present location, restored the house, and has used it as a museum ever since.
Gladbach said there has been confusion for many years about the historical society and Historic Florissant, another group.
After the historical society acquired Taille de Noyer, Gladbach said, some other properties became available. The historical society decided that it could not take on more renovations, and the board decided to concentrate on the museum at Taille de Noyer.
With the historical society focusing on Taille de Noyer, several people interested in the renovation and preservation of historic buildings formed Historic Florissant. The two groups complement each other, Gladbach said, noting that she and several other people are active in both groups. “It probably adds to the confusion that so many of us work with both groups,” Gladbach said.
