Kimmswick, Missouri

Kimmswick is a city in Jefferson County, Missouri. It had a population of 157 at the 2010 census.

The Kimmswick area was settled as early as 1770, by American pioneers who established a salt works there, and later by visitors to some mineral springs nearby.^[1] The city itself was laid out in 1859, immediately following the extension of a branch of the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railroad (later the St. Louis-San Francisco or "Frisco" Railroad) along the Mississippi River. It was named for Theodore Kimm, a prominent local resident.^[2]

Kimmswick was a river port of some prominence in its early years, thanks to its direct access to the railroad, and it possessed a major forge for a time in the late 19th century, smelting the iron ore shipped from mines in the Ironton area.^[3] It was gradually eclipsed by other communities in the region, though, and remained relatively small in size, even during Jefferson County's wave of suburbanization in the mid- and late 20th century (much of which occurred in the Imperial district just to the west). In recent decades, it has benefited from this relative isolation: many of the original houses and local businesses have been preserved, and these, combined with several pioneer-themed festivals hosted by the town, have made Kimmswick a major tourist destination in Missouri.

Kimmswick was severely damaged financially in 2020 by the lockdowns that occurred in response to the coronavirus pandemic, which in the process cut off much of its tourism trade, and the community is still struggling to recover.^[4]

Kimmswick is located at the eastern terminus of State Route K in Jefferson County, a short distance east of Interstate 55 and U.S. Routes 61-67. It is about six miles north of Pevely, and five miles south of Arnold. Its exact coordinates are 38°22’00”N 90°21’50”W.

The city lies in a shallow valley created by the flow of a small tributary stream, Rock Creek, into the Mississippi River. This relatively low-lying position has made it occasionally subject to severe flooding from the Mississippi, most recently in 2019. Kimmswick has a total area of 0.23 square miles, and an average elevation of 411 feet.^[5]

One interesting feature of the Kimmswick area is the presence of numerous bones and other fossilized remains of a variety of prehistoric animals, especially of mastodons, along the banks of Rock Creek, first discovered in 1839. The "Kimmswick Bone Bed," as it was known, was a site of major interest for paleontologists and archaeologists through the early 20th century; some of their findings are preserved today in the nearby Mastodon State Historic Site.^[6]

At the 2010 census, Kimmswick had a total of 157 inhabitants, grouped into 56 households, with a population density of 682.6 people per square mile. This figure represented a dramatic increase from the 2000 census, when Kimmswick had a population of 94. 90.45% of the inhabitants were White, 1.27% were African-American, 6.37% were Asian, and 1.91% were from two or more races. Hispanics of any race were 1.27% of the population.

The median age in Kimmswick was 32.5 years, with 26.8% of inhabitants under the age of 18, 9.5% between 18 and 24 years old, 26.1% between 25 and 44, 28.6% between 45 and 64, and 8.9% 65 years old or older. The sex ratio was 45.9% male, 54.1% female.^[7]

According to the 2018 American Community Survey, Kimmswick had a median household income of $41,667, and a median family income of $53,542. The unemployment rate was 7.8%. The per capita income was $23,271. About 0.7% of the population lived below the poverty line, including no people under the age of 18 and 5.3% of people 65 years old or older.^[8]

Kimmswick is part of the Windsor C-1 School District, which was formed in 1922 through the consolidation of several local schools (Kimmswick's own included) and covers much of north-central Jefferson County. Most of its facilities are in Imperial, directly west of Kimmswick. A K-12 school since 1938, it has a total enrollment of approximately 3,000 students and a staff of around 200.^[9] The school was named for a local Civil War gunboat, reportedly titled the Windsor. Its mascot is the Owls, and the school colors are brown and gold.

Windsor C-1 has repeatedly won awards and positive attention for the quality of its education. In 2020, it was named a "National School of Character," one of only seven schools to gain that distinction.^[10]

Kimmswick has titled itself as "The Historic River City," referencing the many preserved buildings from its foundation in the 19th century, and has used this to build itself into a major tourist destination in the Midwest. Being in an isolated position along the Mississippi River, the town has been left small and lacking in modern development. Sites of particular interest include the Anheuser Estate and Museum, a 19th-century house owned for much of its existence by members of the Anheuser brewing family in St. Louis; the Windsor Harbor Road bridge on Rock Creek, built in 1874 and the oldest existing wrought-iron bridge in Missouri; the Kimmswick Post Office, in operation since 1858; the Blue Owl Restaurant, visited by such celebrities as Oprah Winfrey and Paula Dean; and the Historic Old House Log building, said to have once hosted Ulysses S. Grant. Kimmswick also hosts two major festivals, the Strawberry Festival in June and the Apple Butter Festival in late October. These feature various food vendors, demonstrations of pioneer arts and crafts, live music, and other events, and typically draw thousands of visitors each year.^[11]

In the near future, the city has plans to be the home port for the Delta Queen Steamboat line, and possibly for other Mississippi riverboats as well.^[12]

Another major destination in the region is Mastodon State Historic Site, located a few miles west of Kimmswick. It contains educational displays about the mastodons and prehistoric life in Missouri, along with hiking trails and picnicking facilities.^[13]