Kirkwood, Missouri was established in 1853 as the first planned suburb west of the Mississippi River while the Pacific Railroad was built through the area. The city is named after James Pugh Kirkwood, the chief engineer of the Pacific Railroad and was responsible for the construction between St. Louis and Pacific, Missouri.
Kirkwood is located in West St. Louis County, approximately nine square miles of land with a population of 26,818 (2007 population estimate from U.S. Census Bureau). Kirkwood’s council/manager form of government consists of one mayor and six at-large council members.
1803 – Land that will become Kirkwood is purchased from France in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803
1808 – Log house at #9 Hill Drive built; first home in Kirkwood area
1849 – St. Louis has cholera epidemic and massive fire; people start to look for safer place to live outside of the city
1853 – Pacific Railroad tracks built; Kirkwood is established
1865 – Town of Kirkwood chartered
1865 – Kirkwood School District chartered
1893 – Kirkwood Train Station built
1899 – Kirkwood reclassified as a city
1907 – Kirkwood’s sanitary sewer system completed
1924 – Kirkwood Public Library established
1942 – Kirkwood City Hall built
1946 – Kirkwood Chamber of Commerce formed
1954 – Brown v. Board of Education; Kirkwood School District enrolls black students
1966 – Kirkwood Community Center and Ice Rink opened
1966 – City of Kirkwood offers fire protection services to Meacham Park after five children die in fire
1968 – Interstate Highway Act passed; construction started on I-44 (passes through Kirkwood and Meacham Park)
1976 – Kirkwood Farmer’s Market opens
1987 – Mayor Herb Jones meets with Meacham Park residents to discuss possibility of annexation
1991 – Kirkwood annexes Meacham Park (approval of 72% of Kirkwood and 83% of Meacham Park voters)
1994 – OPUS Corporation awarded contract for redevelopment of Meacham Park
1995 – Desco Group replaces OPUS Corporation as developer
1999 – Kirkwood Commons open
2004 – Station Plaza opens
2008 – Shooting at Kirkwood City Hall, six dead
To learn more about the history of Kirkwood, visit the Kirkwood Historical Society at 302 W. Argonne on Thursdays and Sundays from 1-4.
Sources:
http://ci.kirkwood.mo.us/history.htm
Kirkwood Highlights by Betty Beck, Kirkwood Historical Society
History of Kirkwood, MO 1851-1965 by June Wilkinson Dahl
http://www.cfuh.org/HistoryDraft.pdf
http://www.explorestlouis.com/media/factSheets/fact_kirkwoodNeigh.asp
