Faust Park

Faust Park, one of St. Louis County’s most unique parks. Several separate foundations and organizations work together to create and maintain that uniqueness. The park was created in 1968 through the generosity of Leicester & Mary Plant Faust who donated the property, nearly 200 acres in the heart of Chesterfield. It was their intention to forever preserve, Thornhill, original estate of Missouri’s second governor, Frederick Bates. The park now contains not only Thornhill but also a Historic Village, the St. Louis Carousel, the Butterfly House and the Webster School of Music.

The Thornhill farm includes the home and utility buildings of Frederick Bates and shows how his family lived on the frontier in the early 1800s. Frederick Bates was more than just a farmer; he played a pivotal role in bringing the Louisiana Territory under the control of the United States government, then as it's second state governor. The site includes his 1820s home, barn, reconstructed summer kitchen, ice and smoke house, orchard and herb garden, blacksmith shop and family cemetery. The home has been restored and partially furnished to look as it did when Governor Bates would set off on a one day trek to St. Charles, Missouri, then the first capital of the state.

As St. Louis County has been progressively developed, many nineteenth century structures have been lost. But Faust Historic Village has and continues to preserve the area's vernacular architecture and history. There are four homes and a total of 16 structures representing a variety of building and architectural styles, from log to brick. Spanning a period from 1840 to 1910, the Village illustrates differences in lifestyle representing various professions, developments and needs of the period.

The St. Louis Carousel is home to an original carousel created by the Dentzel Company of Philadelphia in the 1920’s. The Carousel was installed in 1929 at the Forest Park Highlands. When the Highlands burned to the ground in 1963, the carousel was the only thing left standing. Howard C. Ohlendorf purchased the carousel to prevent it from being dismantled and donated it to St. Louis County Parks in 1965. The department operated it during the summer months at Sylvan Springs Park until 1980. The St. Louis County Historic Buildings Commission and Faust Cultural Heritage Foundation raised enough money to restore the carousel to its original beauty and installed it in a climate controlled building in Faust Park in 1987.