The Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum St. Louis

CLOSED FOLLOWING A DESTRUCTIVE FIRE

3524 Russell Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63104
314-282-0234
Admission is free and there is free parking on the street.

kmuseumstl@aol.com

Established in 2015

True to the founder's philosophy this museum is housed in an old church building.  It was built in 1908 in south St. Louis for a Christian Science congregation and then later used for thirty years by a Baptist church. It had been empty for awhile when purchased for the museum. 

The St. Louis museum is one of thirteen Karpeles museums and the most recently established. 

This plaque tells us about the founder. 

 Relatively speaking, this is a small museum, basically housed in this one room. The manuscript cases are permanently scattered throughout the room.  

Every few months the exhibit in the museum changes.  Mr. Karpeles owns so many manuscripts that so far his museums have not seen any exhibits repeated.  The current exhibit, Early Baseball, is one of particular interest to the baseball-loving St. Louis community. 

Each manuscript is in a case with an explanatory poster above the case such as this one below. (Unfortunately all the glass (thus glare) makes it difficult to get fully-clear photos.) 

This 1921 document is newer but perhaps "the most significant document in baseball history."

 This 1859 pre-Civil War document is rare and important. 

Below is Babe Ruth's final playing contract signed in 1935 with the Boston Braves team. 

  
This is the oldest surviving score card. It was printed in 1866 by Pecks and Snyder's Sporting Goods, allowing for the first time for fans to keep score with some bit of ease. This particular card, 48 pages long, includes scoring from the mid-1870's. This score card is particularly rare because it includes scoring of pre-National League professional teams. 

 The museum also has a limited number of artifacts.   

The museum's director adds posters and other items to include with the manuscripts in the exhibits. 

Each exhibit includes life-size cutouts such as these below. 

Although the exhibit on the Wright Brothers is here and gone, the cutouts remain with a poster about them. 

There are also cutouts of Charles Dickens and Mark Twain from prior exhibits. 

In the picture above you might have noticed the glass doors that go into a little room. This room features items pertaining to St. Louis and Missouri history.  Local groups may also exhibit their historical items there. It is currently between exhibits.

Off to the left of the exhibit hall is a small room with another exhibit space. 

Their current exhibit happens to coincide with the baseball theme of the museum exhibit. 

Looking at these pictures, posters, and articles, certainly was a walk down memory lane! 

  This The Sporting News is from 1948. 

Below are two of the great announcers in St. Louis that are recognized in the exhibit. 

1945 advertisement

 Another old ad. 

The second floor of the building is the original sanctuary with an added chancel.  The room has great acoustics and can be used for concerts and other events. 

Did you notice the ships above? The museums also display some non-manuscript items owned by Mr. Karpeles including these historic naval vessels and examples of errors made at U.S. Mint in the stamping of coins. This is a model of the constitution with a Titanic model set behind it. 

Side windows in the sanctuary. 

The museum opens at 10:00 a.m. so we gathered for breakfast beforehand at Uncle Bill's Pancakes, famous for their breakfast menu, serving breakfast 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

Yummy Potato pancakes served German-style with applesauce. 

And a little bit of Christmas as you enter! 

Comments:  This is definitely one of the smallest museums we have toured.  It is laid out well and easy to see all.  

We enjoyed this museum, especially the baseball fanatics among us. The exhibit included some really fun historical items.  The informative posters were great for learning what you were looking at.

The museum only deals with one subject at a time so this is one museum where an interested visitor should check out "what's showing" before going.  A new exhibit is starting about January 5 and it includes manuscripts from Russia from during the period of Alexander I, emperor of Russia from 1801-1825.  

The Media History Foundation exhibit may or may not coordinate with the manuscript exhibit. 

The museum is a work in progress still.  We spent quite a bit of time talking to the director about future plans for the building as they improve portions of it.  Currently there is no heat in the main exhibit area and it was quite cool in there when we were there. The Media room is heated.

Because of the size of the room, I suggest you call ahead to see if there are field-trips scheduled.  Most of the groups that visit are senior citizen groups but the 18 steps that must be taken to enter the building certainly discourages some from coming.  A few school groups also visit. 

What can you say about Uncle Bill's Pancake and Dinner House?  Yummy!  A great breakfast menu but they also have sandwiches and dinners. We would definitely go back!