345 North Road West
Saint Louis, Missouri
314-544-5714
Jefferson Barracks County Park is a 1,702-acre park located on a scenic bluff overlooking the Mississippi River on the site of what once was a major U.S. Army installation. Jefferson Barracks played a significant role in U. S. history for 120 years. Established in 1826, it was the country’s first “Infantry School of Practice” and served as the primary training and gathering place for the Army of the West. Jefferson Barracks replaced Fort Belle Fontaine, the first U.S. Army installation west of the Mississippi River, which suffered from repeated flooding because of its location on the Missouri River. Jefferson Barracks was named in honor of President Thomas Jefferson, who had died on the Fourth of July of the year the post was established.
Jefferson Barracks played an important role in westward expansion serving as a gathering point for troops that established and garrisoned frontier posts, and provided protection for settlers and travelers heading west. During the Civil War Jefferson Barracks served as a major medical facility and a primary ordnance depot for the Union Army. The post has served as a gathering point for troops and supplies bound for service for all major conflicts from the Mexican-American through World War II. Jefferson Barracks also served as the first Army Air Corps basic training site.
There are several buildings of historic note on the grounds of Jefferson Barracks County Park including. The Laborers House, built in 1851 and originally used by civilian workmen as the Ordnance Depot, has been restored from original plans in the National Archives. The Powder Magazine Museum is in an 1857 massive stone building that was once used for the storage of rifles, cannons, gunpowder and ammunition. The Stable was built in 1851 and housed four horses and two spring wagons used to haul munitions produced at the Saint. Louis Arsenal to the ordnance magazines in Jefferson Barracks. The Old Ordnance Room was built in 1851 as the first of the powder magazines at the Barracks. It is now used for special exhibitions relating to the military history of the park. The Visitors Center was built in 1878 as a stable for four wagons and seven animals. The Battle of the Bulge Memorial Monument, dedicated in 1997, overlooks the Mississippi River and commemorates those died defeating the Germans in the Ardennes Campaign in 1944.
As a county park the site has many recreational activities including a field archery range, athletic fields, a 2.7-mile paved trail, a nine-hole Frisbee golf course, and the Saint Louis County Veterans Memorial Amphitheater.
Visiting Jefferson Barracks County Park
Visiting Hours
Daily from 8 am to 1/2 hour after sunset
Museum and Visitor Center Hours: Wednesday - Sunday: 12 pm - 4 pm
There is no charge to visit to visit Jefferson Barracks County Park.
Use the official site of the Saint Louis County Parks to find the answers to the questions about Jefferson Barracks County Park that you may have.
