As a photographer, one of my favorite parts of the planning process for my shoots is scouting out new locations. Over the years I’ve gone through phases of favorite locations- Historic Downtown St. Charles, (the obvious) Forest Park and my new fav., Faust Park. If you’ve never been to Faust Park, you need to go! Its located in West County, right off of highway 40. Most people know of it as the location of the Butterfly House, but there is so much more to explore!
Throughout the park are beautiful rustic barns, old houses and a delightful old mansion. The vintage, rustic feel of this park draws me to it time after time again. After visiting the park for my last 3 photoshoots (I told you, I’m obsessed with this place!), I started wondering what these old houses really are…why are they here in a park in West County St. Louis? Whats up with this beautiful white mansion? Why are there so many lovely, rustic barns (I’m a sucker for the vintage barn look in my pictures!)?
So I decided to look into this and thought I would share with you all that this park is more than just a park, but a part of Missouri’s history. The park was created in 1968 to preserve the original estate of Missouri’s second governor, Fredrick Bates. The beautiful white mansion I love taking family pictures at is really the home of Bates from the 1820’s.
The old houses and barns are a part of the park’s Historic Village, which includes four homes and 16 structures representing different styles from 1840 to 1910. Their website states “The village provides a context in which the life styles of the settlers of St. Louis County and the skills they used to survive are illustrated”.
And now you know. So next time you’re looking for the prime location for family pictures, engagement pictures or senior pictures, check out Faust Park, its loaded with history and beauty. I’ll be sharing my last 2 shoots I did at Faust Park over the next few weeks, so stay tuned to see this beauty come alive through pictures.