Art from Missouri Mercantile

Art

Missouri
Weinland of Mid-America
Artist: Tibor Nagy, copyright 1981
The first wines ever to be produced in Missouri came from wild grapes found by French Jesuit Priests on their seminary grounds in Florissant, Missouri. The year was 1823. Since then, Missouri wines have been famous for their unique quality and rare taste. Even today, there are more varieties of wild grapes in Missouri than in any other state of the Union. The first grape plantings were made in German, Missouri in 1843 because the area was a natural habitat for grape production. By 1866, Missouri was the second largest wine-producing state in the country, and St. Louis was the nation's chief center of wine study and research. In 1867, George Hussmann, professor of horticulture at the University of Missouri, and Hermann Jaeger, a Neosho, Missouri grape breeder, advised French viticulturists to graft their phylloxera devastated vineyards onto Ozark vine roots to save them from this dreadful disease. Prior to Prohibition, there were wineries in 48 Missouri counties. Cape Girardeau, Hannibal and Owensville were some of the famous Missouri winery addresses. The current revival begun in 1965, continues today through the efforts of the Missouri Wine Advisory Board, established in 1979, under the Missouri State Department of Agriculture. The greatest honor for the Missouri wine industry came when the Augusta region was officially designated as "America's First Viticulture Wine District" in 1980.
$9.99

Busch Stadium
Home of the St. Louis Baseball Cardinals
This ballpark opened on May 12, 1966 as the centerpiece of a downtown revitalization project. This is actually the second Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The Original was known as Sportsman's Park until August BUsch purchased it from the St. Louis Browns in 1953 and changed the name to Busch Stadium. The stadium will seat 49,676 fans. Fans can see the Gateway Arch from the top deck in right field. The field surface was originally grass from 1966 to 1969, artificial turf from 1970 to 1995 and grass from 1996 to date. Six World Series have been played at BUsch. The Cardinals won the series in 1967 and 1982. The statue of "Stan the Man" Musical outside the stadium was unveiled in 1968. Mark McGwire hit many homeruns in this park in the 198 season including #62 and #70. Both events were crowd pleasers and the stadium has been marked to show where those balls were hit as a permanent record of the stadium history. The last season the St. Louis Cardinals will play in this stadium will be 2005 as this stadium is scheduled for demolition and a new stadium is being built.
$15.99

Gateway Arch
The world famous Gateway Arch is a steel and concrete structure that stands 630 feet tall and weighs 43,000 tons. Thomas Jefferson, our country's third president, authorized the Louisiana Purchase from Napoleon in 1803, thus doubling the area of the United States. Many settlers traveling west used St. Louis as a starting point, a place to rest and restock provisions hence the nickname "Gateway to the West". The urban riverfront park was named the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in honor of Thomas Jefferson. Visitors to the Arch can ride a tram to the top for a spectacular view of the city. Beneath the Arch is the Museum of Westward Expansion, on of the largest museums in the National Park Service.
$19.99

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