Jefferson Barracks

After the Civil War, the strategic importance of the post lessened. It was used for special purposes: first as a recruit depot, then an ordnance depot, and at times nearly abandoned. World War I brought about a revival as the post became an assembly depot for troops from the Middle West. During both world wars the post was a major induction and training center for new recruits.

In the 1930s and early 1940s Jefferson Barracks was a training center and headquarters for workers of the Civilian Conservation Corps (C.C.C.),, a depression-era federal employment program dedicated to making improvements to the parks, forests, and other natural areas. Jefferson Barracks currently hosts the National Association of C.C.C. Alumni in a former officer’s residence at 16-18 Hancock; it features exhibits related to the group’s activities in the State of Missouri and elsewhere.

St. Louis County acquired nearly 400 acres of Jefferson Barracks after it was deactivated in 1946. The remaining ordnance buildings began to be opened to the public in 1960. The Laborer’s House was built in 1851 for civilians working at the ordnance depot. The stable displays memorabilia of the cavalry once stationed at the barracks, and a museum of Barracks history occupies the massive powder magazine built in 1857.