- Registration is required for this event.
- Registration will open on September 25, 2025 @ 7:00pm.
- A library card is not required.
Program Description
Event Details
Did you know:
St. Louis has a fire museum and has the third oldest paid fire department in the country.
Our city was shaped by the Great Fire of 1849, which wiped out a huge swath of the riverfront and caused the first death of a firefighter in the country.
There were firefighting shows at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair.
St. Louis had the country’s largest hotel, which was destroyed by a fire because of its newly installed elevator shafts. Today, we enjoy the ruins of that hotel in Tower Grove Park.
Doug Schneider will take us on a trip through the history of fires in St. Louis, the evolution of fire-fighting methods and equipment, and an armchair visit to fire stations - many of which have new uses.
Recommended reading from the Library: St. Louis Fires
The presenter is Doug Schneider, author, St. Louis walking tour guide, Scottish country dancer, fan of architecture, Route 66 enthusiast, who graduated from Brown University, one of the eight Ivy League universities, with a Bachelor's in History; and from the University of London with a Master's in Linguistics.
Disclaimer(s)
Sponsored by Friends
Sponsored by the Friends of the Library.