Adolphus Busch (1839–1913)

Co-founder of Anheuser-Busch. His revolutionary use of pasteurization and refrigerated rail cars turned a regional brewery into a global brand.

James B. Eads (1820–1887)

Visionary engineer who built the Eads Bridge, a marvel of 19th-century architecture, and designed armored vessels for the Civil War.

Ellis Wainwright (1849–1922)

Businessman and namesake of the iconic Wainwright Building, a foundational work of modern skyscraper architecture.

Albert Bond Lambert (1875–1946)  

Aviation pioneer, Olympian, and namesake of St. Louis's international airport, who funded Charles Lindbergh's transatlantic flight.

Rev. John Berry Meachum (1789–1854) & Mary Meachum (1805–1892)

 Abolitionist leaders who established the First African Baptist Church and operated a freedom school on a steamboat on the Mississippi River.

  Dr. Helen Elizabeth Nash (1921–2012)

Renowned pediatrician and educator, recognized for her critical work in transforming healthcare for underprivileged children at Homer G. Phillips Hospital.

Mother Baltimore (c. 1824–1904)

A revered community matriarch and philanthropist who ran a vital boarding house and helped countless individuals in need during the post-Civil War era.

Rev. John R. Anderson (1818–1880)

Respected minister and community leader whose work was central to the religious and social organization of the Black community in St. Louis.

  Thomas Hart Benton (1782–1858) ​

The "Old Bullion" U.S. Senator from Missouri, a major proponent of Manifest Destiny and westward expansion for thirty years.

  William Clark (1770–1838) 

Co-leader of the Corps of Discovery and later the influential Governor of the Missouri Territory and Superintendent of Indian Affairs.  

David R. Francis (1847–1927)

Politician and businessman who served as Mayor of St. Louis, Governor of Missouri, and organizer of the 1904 World's Fair.  

  Hamilton Rowan Gamble (1798–1864)

Governor of Missouri during the Civil War who guided the state through its most difficult political and military crisis.

  Dr. Gerty Cori (1896–1957)

T Pioneering biochemist and the third woman, and first American woman, to win the Nobel Prize in science (Physiology or Medicine, 1947).

  Virginia Minor (1824–1894)

Suffragist and activist who sued after being denied the right to vote in 1872, leading to the landmark Supreme Court case Minor v. Happersett.

  Susan Blow (1843–1916)

Known as the "Mother of Kindergarten," she established the first publicly funded kindergarten in the United States in St. Louis in 1873.

    Virginia H. Vashon (1876–1961)

Leading educator, poet, and civil rights activist who served as principal of several St. Louis schools and was deeply involved in women's clubs ​