Got the itch to antique? Both Alton and St. Charles are havens for those hunting the old, the cherished, the forgotten
By Gladys Montgomery
It’s a Saturday morning, and the brick-paved South Main Street of historic St. Charles is just waking up. A few trees reveal a hint of autumn color, but the day is warm and the sun is glinting off the surface of the river just beyond. A young man and woman, both in Colonial garb, stroll along the sidewalk. He stops at the steps of Missouri’s first state capitol building to play a tune on his fife. She ambles on, her voice lilting into a French folk tune, nodding to a woman in 18th-century dress who sits under a tree, sewing. A trolley passes. If it weren’t for the few cars parked on the shady street, you’d think you’d stepped back in time. St. Charles is a great place for strolling, shopping, dining and exploring. And if you want to take its historic ambience home, you can—because this river town is a treasure trove for antique hunters.
St. Charles has three antiquing areas: historic Main Street, the Frenchtown district on North Second Street, and the St. Charles Antique Mall in Charlestowne Plaza shopping center, one of Missouri’s largest multi-dealer enterprises. It boasts more than 200 dealers and a 30,000-square-foot space that is chock-a-block with vintage clothing and textiles; wicker and painted country pieces; oak, china and glassware; kitchen items and Victorian furnishings.
Frenchtown is the place to source shabby-chic items—at Nooks ’n Crannies (1410 N. Second, 636-949-6525) and Blossom (806 N. Second, 636-949-3956), where the owner has a great eye for colorful decorative objects—from iron bedsteads to wire egg baskets. Another favorite is French Connection Antiques (826 N. Second, 636-947-7011), with restored period lighting that can give even a modern interior a one-of-a-kind ambience. For some “guy antiquing,” stop in at Doug’s Place (826 N. Second, 636-947-7044), where hunting and fishing antiques and collectibles abound.
On Main Street, it’s worth checking Hobbit’s Hole Antiques (1019 S. Main, 636-947-6227) for glassware and collectibles and Patches Etc. (337 S. Main, 636-946-6004, www.patches3.com) for antique quilts.
St. Charles contains Missouri’s largest designated Historic District, showcasing over 100 antique buildings dating from the 1790s to the 1890s. The city was founded by French Canadian fur trader Louis Blanchette in 1769 as “The Little Hills” (Les Petites Cotes). St. Charles was then held by the Spanish, who controlled the Mississippi Valley from 1762 to 1800 and dubbed it “San Carlos Borromeo.”
In 1804, Lewis and Clark met in St. Charles to begin their westward journey, a history that is the subject of an exhibit in the Lewis & Clark Boat House and Nature Center. Around 1820, Daniel Boone built his homestead in nearby Defiance—now the site of a museum in his name.
The “black Frenchman” Jean-Baptiste Pointe du Sable, the founder of Chicago, spent his last years in Frenchtown. In 1818, Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne started the first free girls’ school west of the Mississippi. From 1821 to 1826, St. Charles served as Missouri’s first state capitol (the building is still standing). Later that century, German settlers came, developing viticulture and bringing their food, architecture and customs. History is on exhibit at the History Museum, the Frenchtown Heritage Museum and the Haviland Museum, which displays Haviland china (by appointment only). You might find the antiques of tomorrow at the town’s Foundry Art Center (520 N. Main, 636-255-0270, www.foundryartcentre.org) in Frenchtown.
Before crossing the river to explore Alton, lunch at one of the many cafés along Main Street, or pick up a baguette from a Frenchtown deli for an impromptu picnic by the river. If you travel by ferry, the Illinois landing is in Grafton, which has a couple of antiques stores and a flea market on the last weekend of each month.
Alton is a short distance by bridge or via the Golden Eagle Ferry. Set on a hillside above the Mississippi River, it is another historic town with good antiquing; you can pick up a map of antiques stores at any of the town’s shops. One of the best dealers in the Midwest for 18th- and early 19th-century New England furniture and decorative accessories is Fred Dirck at Prairie Peddler Antiques (200 State, 618-465-6114). You could spend a week on the East Coast and not find finer country or more formal pieces for the reasonable prices you find here. Along Broadway, Alton’s main antiquing district, the mood is decidedly funkier, with an emphasis on Victorian, early 20th-century and farmhouse finds.
Other favorite stops are Rubenstein’s (728 E. Broadway, 618-462-5243), for claw-foot tubs, vintage plumbing and lighting fixtures; Alton Antique Center (401 E. Broadway, 618-463-0888), for items from around the world, including French Provincial furnishings; and MJ’s (356 E. Broadway, 618-463-4724), for European antiques. For rustic country furnishings and primitives, head to Red Barn Antiques (3616 Edwardsville, 618-659-0145), Shelton & Co. (319 E. Broadway, 618-462-7010) and Country Meadows (401 E. Broadway, 618-465-1965). For shabby chic and cottage things, visit Christian Hill Antiques (219 William, 618-463-1693). Glassware is the specialty at My Antique Store (201 E. Broadway, 618-465-6545, www.myantiquestore.com). You’ll find vintage jewelry and vintage clothing at Tootie’s Warehouse (310 Piasa, 618-463-0507) or Enchanted April, which is tucked into the back of Karen’s Tea Room (122 E. Broadway, 618-462-6573).
Alton has its share of antique malls, too: the Alton Exchange (2990 E. Homer Adams Parkway, 618-463-1273), Weathered Treasures Mall (5707 Godfrey, 618-466-5170), Upstairs Antiques (323 E. Broadway, 618-465-1200) and the George Street Antique Mall (108 George, 618-463-1693). The History & Hauntings Book Co.’s (515 E. Third, 618-462-7396) specialties are American and regional history and—you guessed it—ghosts; its owners organize a “history and hauntings ghost tour.” From September through November, there are spectral walking, trolley and dinner tours.
Back in the days of the Civil War, Alton was an active anti-slavery town. One of the nation’s first abolitionist newspapers was published in Alton by Elijah Lovejoy, who was murdered in 1837 while defending his press from an angry mob. In 1858, the final—and most important—Lincoln-Douglas Debate was held here. The town was a major stop on the Underground Railroad, sheltering hundreds of runaway slaves escaping to freedom, a history that is remembered in the town’s Underground Railroad Tour. During the Civil War, more than 10,000 Confederate soldiers were imprisoned here in a facility that became Illinois’ first state penitentiary, a chapter recalled in the Alton Prison on William Street and in the town’s Confederate Soldiers’ Cemetery.
Alton’s most famous native son was Robert Wadlow (1918-1940), the 8-foot-11-inch “Gentle Giant” whose statue stands across from the Alton Museum of History and Art (2809 College, 618-462-2763). Alton also boasts outdoor and nature trails, ideal for biking, hiking and in the winter, for watching the bald eagles, as they migrate along the Mississippi Flyway. Finally, be sure to cruise the residental district to see Alton’s bounty in Georgian and Federal architectecture.
A Sampler of Antique Shops
St. Charles Antiques & Oak
319 N. Main
636-946-1898
Centuries Past Antiques
119 S. Main
636-946-1919
First Capitol Trading Post
207 S. Main
636-946-2883 or 800-582-4895
Frenchtown Antique Mall
& Collectibles
826 N. Second
636-724-0261
St. Charles Antique Mall
#1 Charlestowne Plaza
636-939-4178
Alton Antique Center
401 E. Broadway
618-463-0888
Alton Landing Antiques
110 Alton
618-462-0443
Christian Hill Antiques
219 William
618-463-0517
Prairie Peddler Antiques
200 State
618-465-6114
Red Barn Antiques
3616 Edwardsville (Rt.143)
618-659-0145
