Hodiamont.
With that one word, my grandmother could evoke a place and a time, a mythical St. Louis world that had passed just before I was old enough to experience it.
It was the streetcar – the Hodiamont streetcar – she meant when she’d say that magical word, that incantation.
Ho-di-a-mont, with a crisp clear “t” on the end.
Ho-di-a-mont.
It was the starch in my grandfather’s shirt collars, the pressed and folded hankies slipped into her purse before she headed to church, the click of her purse as she primly snapped it shut, the “t” neat and tidy, a pin just so.
This website will unpack this magical word, will bring to life both the bygone streetcar era and reflect on where St. Louis – City and County – stand now.
The website presents the history of Wellston, the neighborhood that served as the terminus for the Hodiamont streetcar line. It was in Wellston that my grandparents lived and worked, where my mother and aunt were raised, where I spent time as a child in the 1960s.
In the blog, I’ll explore topics such as the St. Louis streetcar line (including the Hodiamont line of course!), the rich history of the Wagner Electric factory, the problems facing the City of Wellston today and the built environment of St. Louis, Wellston, and surrounding North County. I’ll look at maps, photographs, urban-inspired artwork, St. Louis blogs, fiction and nonfiction about St. Louis. I’ll also be posting occasional random thoughts and discoveries about the novel’s three target decades: the ’20s, ’50s and ’70s.
Join me as I journey back in time to explore the world of Hodiamont.
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