Laclede House, ca. 1770

From A History of Missouri from the Earliest Explorations and Settlements until the Admission of the State into the Union by Louis Houck (1908). This is a sketch of the house of Pierre Laclede, the first house built in St. Louis proper, constructed in 1764. The sketch is quite detailed (note the village prison in the building attached to the house), considering that the Laclede House was demolished in 1839-1840 and the sketch was published in 1908. Its walls were 2 1/2 feet thick, and it was built of stone, measuring about 34 by 50 feet. In addition to serving as the residence of Laclede, it was the site of the first St. Louis government offices. It was located on the block defined by 1st and 2nd on the east and west, and Market and Walnut on the north and south.

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