City Reaches Agreement To Purchase

City Reaches Agreement To Purchase
“Meramec Highland Company Quarry” Property

9.55 Acres of Additional Park Space Acquired!

Kirkwood, Missouri – Thursday, November 15, 2001 – Mayor Mike Swoboda announced at a meeting of the Kirkwood City Council today that following almost a year of study and negotiations, the city has successfully reached agreement to acquire a 9.55-acre tract of land in Kirkwood for additional park space. The land, once operated as the Meramec Highland Company Quarry, is located along Marshall Road in southwest Kirkwood. The quarry was abandoned about 1900. Kirkwood resident Ernie J. Koestering and his late wife, Dolores “Dee” Koestering, purchased the property in 1962. Earlier this month, the city agreed to pay Mr. Koestering $575,000 for the property, using revenues from the ½-cent park sales tax.

History of the Quarry

The Meramec Highlands Company Quarry opened in 1891 for the purpose of providing stone for the Meramec Highlands resort area. The Highlands was an area along the Meramec River that featured a resort hotel, numerous clubhouses and beaches. Stone from the quarry was used for foundations for these structures. Once the need for stone for the Meramec Highlands area was completed, the remaining stone in the quarry was used for many of the structures for the 1904 Worlds Fair in Forest Park.

The quarry site is said to have significant historical importance to North American geology; the quarry area contains rocks belonging to the Mississippian System, which formed about 320-360 million years ago. The Mississippian and overlying Pennsylvanian are the only system names in use around the world that are derived from North America. These systems are equivalent in rank to better-known system names such as Jurassic or Cretaceous.

Approximately 600 tons of quarried stone remain scattered in the quarry including 7-8 large stones still stacked about the site. Slabs of stone still show drill holes 1 ½ to 2 inches in diameter while one massive shelf shows cuts from a stone saw. The stacked stone has created habitats for the many varieties of reptiles and mammals that thrive in this undisturbed area. Established populations in the area include turkey, owls, fox, deer, raccoon, snakes, cave salamanders, and bats. The quarry cliffs provide nest ledges for birds, including hawks and falcons.

Excavation of the quarry unearthed a 150’ cave that is known locally as Watson Cave. The cave is developed in the St. Louis limestone formation of Middle Mississippian Age and is specifically mentioned in Branson’s Geology of Missouri (1944). Access is extremely limited due to the narrow surface opening and would be further restricted by installation of a bat gate. The cave contains a stream with a surprising good flow of water with numerous small pools and up to five-foot waterfalls. It is the opinion of several geologists and spelunkers that this stream continues to the Meramec River.

The topography of the area is hilly with steep wooded hillsides, sloping down to an active creek. The creek crosses the property along the southern boundary of the property and ultimately empties into the Meramec River. Numerous small pools and low waterfalls exist along the creek. The property is heavily wooded with a mature oak forest and heavy underbrush. This tree cover and underbrush assist with both controlling erosion and maintaining the cleanliness of the creek.

Acquisition of this property not only preserves a piece of history, but the proximity of the property to the Meramec River allows for the development of a trail that would connect up with the proposed Meramec Greenway which in turn is a part of the multi-state Ozark Trail.

“The historical significance of the property coupled with the linkages to other parks and trails make the acquisition of the property very important,” commented Kirkwood Park Board President Skip Kincaid. “The Park Board is interested in helping to preserve and maintain the current passive environment.” Any development that would ensue in the future would be minimal and would consist of trails, security lighting and rest room facilities; features that were noted as highly desirable in the recent park survey.

The Open Space Council of Greater St. Louis has provided a tremendous amount of assistance with the research leading to the acquisition of this piece of land. “We’ve received interest and support from numerous outdoor/environmental groups to provide assistance with educational opportunities in conjunction with the quarry site,” explained Dave White, Kirkwood’s Director of Parks and Recreation.

With this latest acquisition, the city of Kirkwood, which is roughly nine-square miles, will have over 300 acres of park space.