Faust Park Historical Village tour is fun day trip

July 27, 2008
by Kris Kolk

Time is running out to catch some fun this summer before homework and bedtimes rule. Faust Village, in Chesterfield’s Faust Park offers education in a lovely setting close to home. And, it’s free.

So before the routines begin again, consider taking a step back in time, exploring the years of 1840 to 1888. We visited the village Sat. afternoon and met some interesting folks, some even dressed in period clothing.*

The gardener for one of the homes was passionate about the scores of herbs, flowers and berries she nurtured. She took us on a stroll around the home and offered us glimpses of what was packed into the lovely, useful landscape.

Some of what she showed us, included: plants used to treat fevers, natural insect repellents (which Native Americans buried with their dead), juicy-looking thornless blackberries and lamb’s ear. We learned that lamb’s ear leaves were used as bandages and diapers.

Talk, snap, sniff. My hands were overflowing with fragrant samples of the greenery she introduced, snipped by her sturdy fingers. The gardener woman was so cheerful and knowledgeable; we could have enjoyed her company all day.

Next we visited the cabin of a family who relocated from Europe to Missouri. Their trip was surely grueling and their entire cabin was barely larger than a present-day bedroom. It was also swelteringly warm inside, but the guide assured us that since there was usually an abundance of outside work to be tackled, the family rarely lounged indoors.

Next along the path, we were refreshed with air conditioning in a period home. Though the cool down revived tourists, we kept in mind that the original homeowners knew of no such luxury.