9623 Saint Charles Rock Road
Breckenridge Hills, Missouri 63114

CHAPTER ONE - Ownership of the Land

The following Brief History of Breckenridge Hills is provided
in six chapters. Each chapter covers a specific portion of
the history of Breckenridge Hills.

Forward:   The history of Breckenridge Hills is basically a story of the land and the people who have settled her over the years. We have been able to trace some, but not all. The problem had been one of tracking very old records.   In many cases the material is sporadic. However, with the generous help of very kind people we have begun a history of the area. As any beginning we realize it is not a complete and comprehensive history of the area, but it is a start.   It is our hope that all those who have further historical information on the community and the land will bring it to the attention of the (Breckenridge Hills Officials) so future groups will have a more complete record of our community. Acknowledgments:   (The compiling of this information) would have been impossible without the generous help of (former) Police Chief Donald Sweeney, Donald Wander, Willaus Carter and Lon Wadman. These gentlemen gave tirelessly of their time, skills, and information. Ownership of The Land:   The land which occupies the boundaries of present day Breckenridge Hills can be traced back to the late 1700's. A Canadian named Louis Tesson Honore, Sr., who was living in Daskaskia, Illinois at the time, received one of the initial Spanish land grants in this area in the 1770s.   Louis Tesson Honore, Sr. and his wife, Magdalena Peterson, had eight children, on of whom was Noel Honore, who owned much of the land now known as Breckenridge Hills. Another son, Michael Honore, also owned a small portion of land in what is now the southwest corner of Breckenridge Hills.   It is interesting to note how much of the property in this area has been passed on from person-to-person and family-to-family up to the present time.   For example, the land on which the Breckenridge home was erected, was officially granted by the U.S. Government to Noel Honore with James McDonald, as an associate and overseer of the property, in 1803, after the Louisiana Purchase. The home still stands at 3343 Edmundson Road. In 1821 this land was willed to Arch McDonald. The property was owned by Arch McDonald for only eight years when it was again transferred to James Breckenridge, whose family played a very important role in the formation of this small community, which later was named after the Breckenridge family.   James Breckenridge moved here from Kentucky in 1821 with his wife Eve, their two sons, John and Issac and their daughter, Elizabeth. Upon James' death in 1858, his property was passed to his son Issac. Isaac owned the land for 22 years when he transferred ownership to Mr. N. D. Allen. Because of taxes, Allen lost the property in 1883, whereupon it was granted to John Breckenridge, James' other son.   In 1908, John donated his property to the Missouri Baptist Home, who maintained ownership until 1923 when it was sold to the Reasor family. After only four years Mr. Rasor sold the site to a Mr. Heiman, who lived there for 20 years. In 1947, Mr. Heiman sold the land to Mr. Zander, who also kept the land for 20 years at which time it was subdivided and sold to a Mr. Amboro and various others in 1967. The Gipson family purchased Mr. Ambro's property in 1971.   Another portion of land originally owned by the Honore family is the area on the west side of what is now Sims Avenue. This land was held by Noel Honore and James McDonald until 1831 when it was sold to a man by the name of Benson. Mr. Benson lived here for 75 years, when in 1906 he sold to a Mr. Miller on a quick claim, which is similar to a transfer of land. This land was sold three times during the year 1906.   On November 17, 1906, Mr. Miller lost the property due to foreclosure to a man named Reese. Just two days later on November 19, 1906, Resse sold the ground to Mr. Stormer, who kept it until August of 1909 when Carrie Investment Company purchased the land. Carrie Investment then sold the land to Wanstrath Realty Company, in 1916. Two years later Wanstrath Realty sold to Mr. Graham, who only one year later also sold on a quick claim to Mr. Goeke. This property had seven different owners between 1906 and 1920. In 1920, the land was purchased by Mr. Peter Fath who owned the property for quite awhile, when he decided to subdivide it and sold all but the ground on which he resided at 3107 Sims Avenue.   As stated previously, in the 1800's, the Breckenridge (also spelled "BrAckenridge") family played a very important role in the early establishment of this community. James Breckenridge's daughter, Elizabeth, having been widowed three times previously, married Frederick Hyatt. The Hyatt's owned a piece of land in the area which had been part of the Noel Honore estate.   Frederick became a very influential man in the community, being a Whig, a Justice of the Peace, a tax collector and a judge of the county court.   Hyatt died in 1870, leaving Elizabeth a widow for the fourth time. Elizabeth sold her plot of land to Minerva E. Goll sometime prior to 1878.   Goll later sold this property to a family by the name of Foster. Isaac Breckenridge, Elizabeth's brother, also owned to tracts of land to the east of the Hyatt property.   Other prominent names in the history of Breckenridge Hills are Lois Breckenridge, Isaac's wife and their five children. Elizabeth, their only daughter, died when she was still in her teens; Erastus, also died while very young; James, died at the age of 26; John lived until 1907 and Thomas died in 1910, at the age of 75. This entire family is buried at the Fee Fee Cemetery.   Other land owners in the area about whom very little is known is Asa Breckenridge, who owned land to the south of the Hyatt property and the Issac Breckenridge property. Sarah Quinn who owned land east of Asa Breckenridge, which sometime between 1878 and 1909 was transferred to the Boswell family, and the Humes, who property was to the west of Hyatt's land.   The above encompasses only a portion of this area, but illustrates how the beginnings of this (city) coincided with the beginnings of Saint Louis itself and can be traced back to one of the earliest settlers in Saint Louis, Louis Tesson Honore, Sr. This brief history of the land shows the transfer of property for the past 200 years to become what it today, Breckenridge Hills, Missouri.

Onto CHAPTER TWO - The Trail West!