Campbell House Museum, Saint Louis

Established in 1943, the Campbell House Museum commemorates the home and Victorian lifestyle of Robert Campbell, an Irish immigrant who became an American frontiersman, fur trader and businessman, and his wife Virginia Kyle Campbell, an American socialite who played host to members of local high society (including President Ulysses S. Grant, James Eads, General William T. Sherman, and botanist Henry Shaw).

During the preparation of an inventory and evaluation of the estate, the invited experts in history, architecture and art were all amazed at the condition of the property and pronounced that, "probably nowhere in America, possible nowhere else, is such an intact and integral display of elaborate and ornate furnishings of the middle Victorian period to be found, as in the Campbell mansion".

During the 1940s, the Campbell House was one of the only museums dedicated to the history and decorative arts of mid-Victorian America. The discovery of the Campbell House photo album allowed for accurate restoration of the interior rooms.

The museum was designated a City of St. Louis Landmark in 1946, and then listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

During the mid-1980s, its dining room was partially restored, with the elaborate painted ceiling recreated. False wood graining also underwent restoration or recreation wherever needed. In the morning room, wallpaper was recreated to match the pattern in the photos.

In February 2000, another round of restoration started with the packing and storing of the entire museum collection. The exterior restoration was complete by mid-2001, while the interior restoration, began in the Spring 2001, continued until 2005, restoring the house as closely as possible to its appearance in the 1885 photographs.

Why You Should Visit:
Personally guided tours of this meticulously restored and maintained treasure are wonderful.
You truly do step back in time upon entering this house with its beautiful woodwork, artwork, and furnishings.

Tip:
Don't miss the tour over the holidays when the museum is decorated with antique decorations (be advised, however, that on certain days of the week, as well as in January and February, the tours are by appointment only).
The shop is also very unique, offering lithograph nightlights and books about the St. Louis area.