This Used to Be St. Louis

Author/historian NiNi Harris has researched and written 14 books on St. Louis history and architecture. Her education began with her grandmother recalling tales of life in the old immigrant communities as she baked cakes and pies from scratch. Much of Harris's time is spent digging through crumbling records, documenting the history of this great City. Her works have explored the stories of the waves of immigrants who built St. Louis's remarkable brick neighborhoods and great Gothic and Romanesque churches. She has written about the profound effect of World War One and World War Two on this river metropolis. Her books recall the role St. Louis played in opening the American West and in the Union victory in the Civil War.