Carondelet, St facts for kids

Template:Infobox St. Louis neighborhood

Carondelet is a historic neighborhood located in the very southeastern part of St. Louis, Missouri. It used to be its own city, becoming independent in 1851. Later, in 1870, it officially became part of the City of St. Louis.

What's in a Name?

Carondelet got its name from Baron Carondelet. He was the governor of a Spanish area called Upper Louisiana a long time ago.

This community has had many different names and nicknames over the years. Some of these include Delor's Village, Catalan's Prairie, Louisbourg, Vide Poche, and Sugarloaf.

A Look Back: Carondelet's History

Carondelet was founded in 1767 by a man named Clement Delor de Treget. He was from France and built a stone house here. At first, the village was known as Delor's Village.

Later, it was called Catalan's Prairie, named after an early settler, Louis Catalan. It was also known as Louisbourg, probably to honor Louis XVI, who was the King of France.

Why the Name Carondelet?

When the land changed from French to Spanish control, Treget wanted to keep his job as captain of the local militia. He was French, and the new governor, Baron de Carondelet, was Spanish. Treget worried he might lose his position. So, he decided to flatter the governor by naming the village "Carondelet." This helped him keep his job!

Fun Nicknames: Vide Poche and Sugarloaf

The village also had a funny nickname: Vide Poche. In French, this means "empty pocket." People said the villagers were poor and often had to buy flour from St. Louis, but their pockets were empty.

Another idea for the nickname is that Carondelet was a place where visitors' pockets would become empty. The people of Carondelet were known for being very friendly and loving sports and games. Visitors from St. Louis might return home with no money left, perhaps because the Carondelet men were better at horse racing or card games!

Another nickname for Carondelet was "Pain de Sucre," which means "Sugarloaf." This might have referred to the shape of a nearby hill.

In 1799, a count of the population showed that Carondelet had 181 white residents and 3 enslaved African people.

Becoming Part of St. Louis

Carondelet officially became a city in 1832. It later merged with a part of St. Louis in 1860, and then fully joined the City of St. Louis in 1870.

Carondelet and Industry

Carondelet became important for processing lead from the Southeast Missouri Lead District. This started in the 1840s when lead shot was made here. It was brought in by the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway.

During the American Civil War, Carondelet played a big role. Many ironclad warships were built here for the Union Army and Navy. These powerful ships were made at the Union Marine Works shipyards, owned by James Buchanan Eads.

Four of the first "City class" ironclads were built in Carondelet: the St. Louis, Carondelet, Pittsburgh, and Louisville. Other similar ships were built nearby.

Later, from 1870 to 1930, Hertz Metal Company operated a lead smelter here. A smelter is a place where metal is melted to separate it from other materials. Other companies also used the area for making chemicals like phosphates.

A Changing Community

Originally, many French and then German immigrants lived in Carondelet. Today, the neighborhood has a mix of different uses. Along the Mississippi River, you'll find industrial areas. Further from the river, there are homes and businesses.

Because Carondelet was once its own village, it has some of the oldest homes in St. Louis. Most of the houses were built between 1880 and 1930. You can find different types of homes, from small cottages to apartment buildings and larger family houses. Most of them are made of brick.

Who Lives Here?

In 2010, the population of Carondelet was made up of different groups. About 57.3% were White, 33.8% Black, 0.6% Native American, and 1.3% Asian. About 7.1% of the people were of Hispanic or Latino background.

Images for kids

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  Private residences along a traffic island in Carondelet.

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  Location of the Carondelet neighborhood within St. Louis