Hawken House Museum

1155 South Rock Hill Road
Webster Groves, MO 63119
314-968-1857

Admission is $5.00 and parking is free

www.historicwebster.org

Opened in 1971

This late Greek Revival home was built in 1857 on 100 acres of land off what is now Big Bend Boulevard by Christopher Hawken, shortly after he married Mary Ann Eads. At 25 cents an acre he was able to greatly expand his property holdings as the house was being built.  The eight-room house has Victorian-inspired woodwork.  The brick was fashioned from clay near a pond on the property. In 1970 the house was moved by the City of Webster Groves and the Webster Groves Historical Society to its present location on Rock Hill Road .  Today the Historical Society maintains the house. 

Christopher Hawken was the son of Jacob Hawken, a highly successful St. Louis gunsmith.  The Hawken Rifle was carried by Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett, Buffalo Bill, Kit Carson, and many others. It is not surprising, therefore, that the front right parlor displays the popular Hawken Rifle and several others rifles. 

This parlor also has this chair that belonged to Christopher Hawken, one of just a few original pieces in the house today. The remainder of the house is decorated in period furniture. The family entertained often and on several occasions enjoyed the company of their neighbor, Ulysses S. Grant, 

This small square piano is also in that parlor room...

as is this hand-cranked music box. 

The other front parlor has a square grand piano. Square grand pianos enjoyed great popularity through the mid-and- late-19th century.

This period piece is a chaperone chair designed for a chaperone to sit between a couple.  

This second parlor also has this beautiful marble table. 

The feather Christmas tree dates back to the late 1800's in Germany and early 1900's in the USA. 

In the dining room the table includes the original Hawken chairs. 

There is also a high chair, something the Hawkens would have used often as they had nine children. 

This clock on display in the dining room was a wedding present to Christopher and his wife Mary Ann when they married in 1855.  It was made in 1805 and was given to them by her father, Granville Eads/Eades. 

This Victorian ceiling light in the dining room has a smoke bell.  A must for any functional kerosene ceiling lamp is the smoke bell to collect the soot and keep it off the ceiling.

Behind the dining room is the kitchen which was added later.  It, too, has a ceiling light with a smoke bell. 

A docent dressed in period costume gave us a tour of the kitchen.

Upstairs on the second floor, the child's bedroom is full of period furniture, dolls, and other toys.

The parents' bedroom...

includes a cradle for the latest baby. 

These shoes by the bedroom fireplace are ladies' shoes with felt spats and would have required button hooks to close. 

These Victorian hair combs belonged to Mary Ann Hawken. 

The house was restored with two adult bedrooms, this one referred to as the guest bedroom.  

The bedside desk holds many items including a period photo album. The figurine near the lamp is of two characters from the book Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Uncle Tom and Little Eva.  The book was written in 1852 and the figurine was made around that time.  

On display is a bedside ewer and basin for washing along with a pitcher and a vase. 

This grooming kit would have been used when traveling by either a man or a woman.

This 1850's funerary contains the hair of the deceased woman in the picture and hangs on the bedroom wall.

The fourth and final room upstairs is a sewing room. 

In the basement of the house are displays and a gift shop.  These cases contain an extensive collection of dolls from around the world. 

Other cases contain items important to the history of Webster Groves. 

There is a small gift shop. 

The herb garden is maintained by the Webster Groves Herb Society. 

Comments:  This is a nicely decorated and well maintained historical home. It is definitely worth visiting. We were able to go through all of the rooms. 

The house is open two days a week and the house is seen by tour.  The day that we were there, several excellent and very knowledgeable docents walked us through the rooms. 

Behind the house is the Hearth Room, available for rent for receptions, meetings, etc.  The rental income is used to maintain the house.  

The house and Hearth Room are in Webster Grove's Southwest Park where there is also a playground and public restrooms.  The park is also nice to visit.