Hidden History of Downtown St. Louis

A reputation as the town of shoes, booze and blues persists in St. Louis. But a fascinating history waits just beneath the surface in the heart of the city, like the labyrinth of natural limestone caves where Anheuser-Busch got its start. One of the city’s Garment District shoe factories was the workplace of a young Tennessee Williams, referenced in his first Broadway play, The Glass Menagerie. Downtown’s vibrant African American community was the source and subject of such folk-blues classics as Frankie and Johnny and Stagger Lee, not to mention W.C. Handy’s classic St. Louis Blues. Navigate this hidden heritage of downtown St. Louis with author Maureen Kavanaugh.