Historical Society of University City

06/09/2026

Thank you to St. Louis County Parks and Recreation for putting on this wonderful event! It was great getting to share our history and meet other organizations in the region.

05/31/2026

The Historical Society of University City is updating our memorial database to create an interactive map, and we don't want a single memorial left out.

We have over 60 memorials cataloged, but we need the community to assist.

Is there a memorial, plaque, or dedicated bench in your neighborhood?

1. Take a photo
2. Add it to the comments with location
3. Let us do the rest.

Help us ensure no piece of our community's story is missed! City of University City, Missouri (Official)

05/12/2026

The Historical Society was honored to attend the push-in ceremony for our 1953 Seagrave Fire Truck last Friday. After 72 years and quite a journey, this piece of history has been generously donated back home to the University City Fire Department.

Purchased new by U-City in 1952 for $16,593.50, this truck served our streets for 19 years before embarking on a wild ride. It spent time as a promotional vehicle for KSLQ Radio and was even converted by Coca-Cola to serve soda!

Thanks to the incredible dedication of Mr. John Nau III, who purchased the truck in 1987, it has been meticulously restored to its original 1953 configuration. We are beyond proud to have this piece of history back where it all started.

We are grateful for the love and dedication that has gone into this truck over the years and extremely proud to have this piece of history generously returned to the city of University City.

04/17/2026

We still have an open position on our board for a Treasurer. Do you love University City history? Do you have a background in finance? This would involve managing our Quickbooks account and reporting to the board monthly of our financials. Email us at [email protected] and join us! We meet once a month.

HELP WANTED: TREASURER

Do you have accounting knowledge and would like to give back to your wonderful city?? Well you may be exactly who we are looking for.

We have a need for a treasurer to join our board. If you are interested or have any questions please email us at [email protected].

03/10/2026

Thank you to all who made it to the State of the City last Thursday night at City Hall. This is a wonderful event that allows University City leadership to share the accomplishments with citizens and look ahead to the coming year. We are appreciative that Mayor Terry Crow and Interim City Manager Brooke Sharp participated in this event.

Highlights:
+Search for new City Manager
+Olive and 170 updates
+Seafood City update
+Focus on Loop Business District
+Searchlight

If you missed the event you can watch it on the City's Youtube Channel.

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

01/31/2026

Stop by and say hi at the Loop Ice Carnival today and support our efforts to restore the ucity searchlight. We are in front of United Provisions

01/28/2026

Thank you to all who have shared and signed our petition so far to save the searchlight!!

https://c.org/jbFsGksr5V

We are almost to 100 supporters and need your help so that the searchlight can shine again!! Sign the petition and reach out to your Councilmembers today asking to make the restoration of the searchlight a priority.

Don't forget to come out and see us in front of united provisions during the Loop Ice Carnival on the 31st to learn more.

Restore the University City searchlight

01/23/2026

BRING THE LIGHT BACK TO CITY HALL! - WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!

We are calling on the city to assist in helping to restore our iconic searchlight.

Let’s not deprive our community of this iconic symbol that is truly one of a kind. Let’s ensure the light shines again—creating new memories for our children and grandchildren for decades to come.

HOW YOU CAN HELP: Reach out to your Councilmember today and sign our petition https://c.org/s4WT8TbFys requesting that they make the restoration of this wonderful beacon a priority.

Mayor: Terry Crow [email protected]
Interim City Manager Brooke Sharp [email protected]
1st Ward: Lisa Brenner [email protected]
1st Ward: Steve McMahon [email protected]
2nd Ward: John Tieman [email protected]
2nd Ward: Dennis Fuller [email protected]
3rd Ward: Bwayne Smotherson [email protected]
3rd Ward: Stacy Clay [email protected]

We will be handing out flyers during the Loop Ice Carnival on Saturday the 31st in front of United Provisions. Stop by to say hello and learn more about this project.

https://ucitysearchlight.com/why-should-the-light-be-saved/

12/31/2025

As we look back on 2025, the Historical Society of University City has so much to be thankful for. This year was defined by growth and community connection. We were thrilled to welcome three new members to our Board, along with many new faces to our general membership.

Together, we’ve reached several exciting milestones:

1. We’ve made significant progress on the long-dormant city searchlight—a truly unique and important piece of our history.

2. We launched the "Meet Your Neighbors" program and continued our tradition of hosting City Hall tours.

3. We proudly presented several new Century Plaques to homes across the city.

4. We hosted a wonderful program by Tom Eyssell on his book 'They Will Run: The Golden Age of the Automobile in St. Louis'

5. We received a wonderful donation of auxiliary police items as well as books on Wanda Bowers a longtime English Teacher at University City high school.

We also invite you to explore our new website feature that maps every century plaque in University City. How many are in your neighborhood?

http://www.ucityhistory.org/century-homes-with-plaques.html

Looking ahead, please stay tuned for a special request from us regarding the searchlight project in early 2026. We hope everyone has a wonderful 2026 and we are excited for the year ahead.

12/15/2025

Another wonderful century plaque presentation to Elizabeth and David Nelson this weekend in the University Heights #1 neighborhood.