PUBLICATIONS Florissant Valley Quarterly
This eight-page magazine, now printed in full color, contains news and essays about historic preservation and area history. The editorial team, as well as outside contributors, prepare the content. Your contributions are welcome! Please send your ideas, articles, and histories to florissantvalleyhs@gmail.com and you may be featured in a future issue!
The Florissant Valley Historical Society has published a quarterly magazine since its inception in 1958. The present run of magazines started in 1984, when the Friends of Old St. Ferdinand and Historic Florissant, Inc. joined FVHS to produce the publication. The magazine is printed and mailed to our donors and members each January, April, July, and October. After six months, the issues are digitized and put on the FVHS website for the community to access for free.
PUBLICATIONS In the Walnut Grove: A Consideration of the People Enslaved in and around Florissant, Missouri (2020)
This new book is a ground-breaking study of slavery at Taille de Noyer (“Walnut Grove”) and in North County generally. Various essays consider the role of the enslaved at Taille de Noyer, on neighboring estates, and elsewhere in North County. It has excerpts from actual narratives by the enslaved in St. Ferdinand Township, reproduces photos and documents associated with enslaved people, and includes a series of quotes and reflections. It even tells of how the famous Dred Scott decision was tied to the area. $16.95 It is available from certain booksellers around St. Louis and always on AMAZON.COM.
A limited number of these are for sale through Taille de Noyer and this website. Itrequires a $21 donation to cover shipping charges, and please be sure your mailingaddress and the title are in the “comments” section of the donation page.
PUBLICATIONS Books About Florissant
The Florissant Valley Historical Society offers some books about Florissant’s history for sale.
Florissant, Missouri by Rosemary Davison. This book was published in 2002 by a founder of the historical society and the Grand Dame of local history! Mrs. Davison (1918-2014) was the city’s primary resource for local history and researched most all of the historic properties in Florissant. Her collection and archives are at Historic Florissant Inc., which she also founded. $25 donation—be sure your mailing address and the title are in the “comments” section of the donation page.
Passport to Manhood by Joseph Desloge Jr. Mr. Desloge, descendant of a prominent Florissant and St. Louis family, wrote his memoir in 1995. We have a limited number of these hardcover books. $25 donation—be sure your mailing address and the title are in the “comments” section of the donation page.
Rail, Mail, and Dreams by Rosemary Davison. Mrs. Davison’s 2009 book looks at the history of the Narrow Gauge Railroad, which arrived in Florissant in 1878 and forever changed the once-isolated little village by connecting it to the urban center. $25 donation—be sure your mailing address and the title are in the “comments” section of the donation page.
St. Ferdinand de Florissant by Gilbert Garraghan SJ. This is a faithful reprint edition of this 1923 history of Old St. Ferdinand’s—which is also the history of the city! It is the foundation of our knowledge of Florissant’s history. We have a limited number of these softcover books. $25 donation—be sure your mailing address and the book title are in the “comments” section of the donation page.
Other volumes appear from time to time. Check back in!
