Old Smokehouse

St. Peters, Missouri
St. Charles, County

All that remains of the original John Gue Homestead at 115 Main Street is a small smokehouse. It was built in 1830 and utilized by the family until the 1940s. The smokehouse features individually set stone walls, an arched brick ceiling, and the original latches and hinges that were forged by the Gue family. Meat-hooks still hang from a smoky beam where hams were once hung to cure. This smokehouse currently holds the title as the oldest building in St. Peters and represents a time long before the community’s incorporation in 1910. The current owner of the property has held on to the Smokehouse for more than two years, promising the real estate agent at the time of purchase that he would not demolish this piece of history and instead allow concerned parties to move it to a safe location. A more looming concern is the structure’s close proximity to the neighboring home, which needs extensive work done that cannot be completed with the Smokehouse mere inches away.  A Historical Focus Group created by the City of St. Peters would like to see the Smokehouse moved to a new location, a feat the city has already achieved with a historic log cabin. It is hoped that listing the Old Smokehouse in St. Peters as a Place in Peril will assist efforts to raise funds for this project and also find assistance from professional masons or building movers to secure a future for this historic structure. Those who wish to aid the City of St. Peters can contact City Historian and Alderman, Joyce Townsend at alderman.townsend@stpetersmo.net.

To Donate or Volunteer, Contact Alderman Joyce Townsend
alderman.townsend@stpetersmo.net